Rediscovering lamp shades
We all have one sitting around somewhere: a lamp with a broken or old-fashioned shade. Sometimes there is not even anything wrong with it; the lamp just no longer matches the current decor. If you feel it is time for a change, and before making any major decisions, you should get some illuminative ideas by visiting your local shopping center or lighting stores, where you will find a large variety of light fixtures and applications.
Most shades fall into two categories. Sleeker profile, ‘hard-backed’ shades have paper and fabric bonded to a stiff, styrene base, while the more traditional, ‘soft-sided’ ones have fabric stretched over a metal frame. Regardless of its construction, any shade looks best when she is slightly wider that the lamp base.
If you are in the market for a new shade, or you want to surprise a friend with a lamp makeover, take the lamp base with you to the lighting store and try it with the different shades you think will suit it the most. If your budget allows, consider a visit to a custom-shade-maker, or specialized artist who can tailor a shade to your specifications.
As interior styles change, so do lamps and their shades. No tint or material is taboo, and neither are patterns and shapes. The trick to buying the perfect lamp shade is to take size, shape and colour into account. Make sure the bottom edge of the shade will cover the hardware or socket of the floor, desk, or table top model. The wider the shade and the lighter the colour, the more light it will cast. Keeping the proportions of the entire piece in mind, pick a shade that is approximately 2/3 the height of the lamp base. The shape of the shade will depend on your taste, and the final look you are aiming for. Get inspired and don’t be afraid to try out something different. There is absolutely nothing wrong with pairing an avant-garde shade with a classic base.
The lighting industry also produces delicate, glass lamp shades, which also come in a variety of types. As we know, lightning plays a major role in the ambiance of a room and depending on the setting you want to create you have the option between different products such as opal, sandblasted, etched, satin crystal, iridescent glass art, and intricately made stained glass – the real deal or as a master reproduction.
With octagonal, oval, pagoda or drum-shaped, hand-painted, printed, silk, raw hide or Tiffany stained glass at your finger tips, a fashionable new accent piece lampshade not only breathes new life into an old lamp, but rejuvenates an entire room.
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