View full sizeA lampshade created by Dane Murphy.Need a quick room makeover? Consider new lampshades. Changing the shape of a shade can throw new light on the appearance of a lamp and even the room.
Always take your lamp when you go to the specialty store to shop for shades. The salespeople are skilled in helping you decide. It may also help to bring fabric samples and paint chips.
Design experts advise using round shades on lamps with round bases and boxy shades for lamps with rectangular bases.
If fabric shades with wire frames wear out, but you like the shape and style of the shade, take the frame to a specialty shade shop and have it re-covered. This is especially important if you have shapely vintage frames. New ones often don't have much style. Re-covering the frames usually costs no more than buying a new shade.
Here's a good rule of thumb for achieving a balanced look with a table lamp: Shade height should be one-third the height of the lamp.
The widest diameter of the shade (the bottom) should be about twice as wide as the lamp
base. It might be necessary to buy a longer or shorter harp, the metal bracket around the bulb that supports the shade, to adjust proportions.
Here are a couple of do-it-yourself shade projects:
You can also watch a
for a variety of lamps.
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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