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?
