Don’t overlook the significance of a luxury lampshade when designing a stylish home. The perfect lampshade can transform your space from humdrum to high-end in just a few seconds. But with so many shades on the market, how do you find the holy grail of lampshades for your home?
Here’s a quick guide to picking the perfect shade to solve your lighting problems.
Picking a Lampshade Material
Think about the type of ambience you want to create with your lampshades. This will differ between rooms. Parchment, paper, and card shades have clean lines and a fresher look, making them ideal for kitchens, studies, and playrooms. Pleated fabric luxury lampshades are more traditional and they look stunning in a country-style room or where you want to create an elegant atmosphere.
Do you have a lamp with a smooth, shiny base? Create an eye-catching contrast with a luxe fabric shade in velvet, linen, or silk. This gives an abundance of texture to the lamp which it would otherwise lack.
Deciding Between Patterned and Block Colour
There are advantages and disadvantages to prints and plain. Simple, neutral lampshades are classic in style and can work wonderfully with an ornate designer lamp base – you don’t want the stand to be overshadowed by a showy shade. On the other side of the coin, you create stunning focal points in a room when you decorate with statement lampshades created from beautiful, patterned fabrics. If you go for a pattern, make sure that the dominant colour within the print matches the overall colour scheme of the room. This helps tie the décor together.
Also, decide how much light you want to filter through the lampshade. A lighter-coloured shade allows more illumination to pass through, making it better for a reading lamp or other task lighting. If you only want the lamp to look good, you have more freedom to pick a darker shade or pattern. Of course, you can switch your lampshades around to suit your taste or the season. Light and muted colours look lovely in the spring and summer. Create a cosy space when autumn comes with berry shades and darker colours.
Choose Your Perfect Shape
The lamp is pleasing to the eye when both stand and shade share similar contours. For example, tapered shades work well with a bulb or bottle-shaped base. A block base is effective with a square lampshade. But rules are made to be broken. You’ll create a quirky and individual look if you mix shapes, which could set your room apart from everybody else’s.
Drum shapes are contemporary and can create smooth lines when created from a smooth material. Cone lampshades are tapered at the top and a good choice for wall lights. Empire lampshades are the traditional shape and they cast more light downwards than upwards. Square shades are versatile and fit in both modern and classic homes.
Need more inspiration on creating a standout home? Discover more tips here for designing a stylish living space.
