Design Dilemma,Lighting | November 20, 2007No Comments

Design Tip Tuesday: Lampshades

Design Hole reader, Sue David recently wrote asking about lampshades. She asks, “I noticed your question on how to have good quality custom lampshades made ‚Äì but without having to mortgage one‚Äôs house in the process! I‚Äôm looking for the same! I‚Äôm wondering if you found anyone you can recommend who does a good quality job and who is good value?”

I really wish I had the perfect answer for this question. But I’m afraid there isn’t one. So I’ll start with the good news. It’s easy to find quality lampshades in a great assortment of fabrics and styles. A couple of sites I’ve recommended before are The Lampshade Shop and Alluminare. They both have an extensive line of fabrics and you can order swatches. Their price are very reasonable. Alluminare has online help and you can even return the custom shade if it doesn’t work out.

The problem is finding a place that will make a truly custom (or bespoke) shade with your fabric. Basically, lamp shops farm out the custom work to their top secret workshops and tack on a hefty mark-up. Last year I scoured the earth trying to find the real workshop for a project I was working on last year to no avail. Maybe someone who knows the secrets of Google could do better than I. The bottom line was the price I was given for a simple drum shade was $250 for the labor, plus the cost of my fabric. For the particular job, it wasn’t worth the price, so we reworked the plan.

Sorry to disappoint Sue, but I suggest you decide how important a custom shade is to your overall creative concept. If it will really make the room, then go for it – even if it’s expensive. Have a lampshade shop in your area ship it out for a custom job. Another idea is to make one yourself. I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard it isn’t difficult if you have a steady hand. A good site for everything you need to make a lamps and lampshades is The Lamp Shop. They even have books that show you how to do it yourself.

Finally, if you are a person who makes lampshades, or know a workshop that does, pass the info along!