8 Stylish Lampshade Resources
A good lampshade is hard to find. A great one can transform a lamp and, possibly, an entire room. Here are six resources I particularly like.
1. Gracious Home
This company, Gracious Home, offers a wide variety of chandelier or sconce shades. Their feathered versions are unique.
2. Lit Shades
Dawn Bassett makes bespoke shades in her own shop, Lit. Read my interview with Dawn and find out how she does it, plus some tips on how to choose the proper shade. You can order from her online, too.
3. Vaughan
Interesting pleated shades are beautiful and hard to find. No longer! Vaughan has a wide variety of pleated options, as well as “normal” shades. You can also choose a variety of trims and fabrics.
4. Hannah Nunn
Esty lampshade artist, Hannah Nunn, makes the shade and the lamp. My faves are the party shades custom made with your name or holiday.
5. Jocelyn Warner
Likewise, Jocelyn Warner sells a tripod lamp along with her shades, which are crafted from her line of wallpapers.
6. Ashling Rustics
Here in Michigan, many people summer in the upper mart of our mitton. It’s called going “up north.” These styles from Ashling would be popular there. They also offer a southwestern styles.
7. Alluminare
I’m always writing about Alluminare. I’ve become friends with their owner – even though she lives in Hawaii and we’ve never met in real life. (I love the Internet.) Her company has grown remarkably from its birth at her kitchen table. I admire her gumption. They sell ready made shades. But the best thing is you can create your own with the pattern, style and color that’s all your own.
8. Porta Romana
If you want a sophisticated shade, Porta Romana is the place to go. Origiinally only in the UK, they now have trade locations in the US.
Friday Favorite: Pudelskern’s Granny Pendant
Get this while it’s hot! With a wave to the handmade trend, Austrian design group, Pudelskern has knitted up a beauty of a pendant lamp. Granny is hand knit from Tyrolean sheep’s wool (as you can plainly see).
Each Granny (40cm wide x 40cm tall) is hand-signed by the artists and is part of a limited series of 23 pieces. Only a few are left, but you can still snap one up. They cost 565 € ($833). The price includes tax but not shipping.
I love it. How about you?
Roger Borg: Rethinking Neon Lighting
I’ve been hard at work here in the design studio these days. When I got a call from neon artist, Roger Borg, I was relieved to take a rest from the day-to-day to feast on some illuminating eye-candy.
Roger takes neon to a new level. He’s created some brilliant designs for the home, including this neon chandelier.
He’s been experimenting with various forms like this colorful table lamp and, as with the chandelier, a different take on the standard shade pendant.
He does his own things, too. The orange pendant light (left) and the yellow floor lamp are truly unique.
This is my favorite. It’s a pendant lamp. So very cool.
To see more of Roger’s work, including his neon signs, visit his personal site here. Or, visit his company’s site, 419 Neon. You can find Roger’s work at various retail shops. Or, shoot him an email and he’ll give you pricing. He can also explain what to do with the transformer, etc.
A neon chandelier? I’m thinking yes. How about you?
David Weeks & Dunny: What Were You Thinking?
Will David Weeks please report to the Principal’s Office at Design Hole? (I’m looking for my ruler. I know it’s around here somewhere.)
Okay, so, Mr. Weeks, what were you thinking coming up with a very adorable Dunny doll that costs $1,200?
Okay, so there are only five in the world. I get that. But still, these are difficult times we’re living in, as I’m sure you read in your Economics class. David, your work in Lighting class is the best ever. But in Shop I’m afraid you get a FAIL. Now hold out your hand.
Interview with LitShades’ Dawn Bassett
Lampshades are important. They spell the difference between a ho-hum lamp and one that looks beautiful when lit. A good one, one that starts with a good quality fabric, is amazingly hard to find. Lampshade designer and fabricator, Dawn Bassett, feels my pain. Dawn is the owner of LiT, a Seattle shop devoted to the creation of beautiful lampshades.
Dawn became interested in making lampshades while working as an interior designer. The lack of interesting options caught her attention. She knew she could make something better and so LiT was born. Dawn creates ready-made and custom shades. We recently had a chat about her craft. Here’s what Dawn had to say.
DH: I often find the shades on lamps in shops are pretty inferior. What are your thoughts?
DB: Generally, they’re just not well made. First, they’re smaller than I recommend for the size of the lamp. And the sizes are too limited. They’re tapered or conical shaped, which makes them stackable and less expensive to ship. Sometimes conical is okay. But often a different shape, such as round, would suit the lamp’s style better.
Another problem is that the average shade is made using cheap materials. They use plastic backing and paper tape at the top and bottom. The fabrics are poly-rayon blends instead of silk or linen. Also, “hand-sewn” shades often aren’t really hand-sewn. They’re held together with rubberized glue.
DH: With so many people shopping on-line, what advice would you give shade shoppers?
DB: When shopping for a shade, measure the lamp first. For a tapered shade, I¬†stick to 3/4 of the lamp’s height¬†with a¬†bottom diameter twice that of the lamp base.¬†For a drum shade, go between 13 – 15″ diameter and between 9 – 11″ in height for a mid-sized table lamp.¬† These are very subjective guidelines, but I hope they help.
DH: Are there any lampshade guidelines?
DB: What I like people to be aware of is that a lampshade is a functional object. Pay attention to the size and material of the shade to determine how much and what color of light will be diffused.  One other pointer is to buy a harp or a shade extender to make sure the shade fits the lamp correctly.
DH: How can a shade be spruced up on the cheap, i.e.: DIY?
