Fabric Shades

Although most new lamps come complete with a shade, many people want to ring the changes and buy a fabric lamp shade to complement the new decorative addition to their lighting. The correct lampshade can add style and elegance to a plain lamp whilst the wrong one can make the lamp look out of proportion or even difficult to switch on and off. Almost any kind of fabric can be used to create a lamp shade and there is an array of different shapes from which to choose. Home style designers often create lampshades in silk or jute and popular styles are the oval, the empire and the tapered drum. Colour, pattern and fabric are the three most important features for a lamp shade. Modern designs in pastels look fantastic in a contemporary setting. Of course, the fabric you choose is of great importance and some are not suitable for use with high watt bulbs. However, if your lamp uses LED bulbs, there is no restriction on fabric as these bulbs do not produce a lot of heat. This means you can buy delicate silk or even a paper type fabric to use with the lamp. Balance is all important and a fabric lamp shade should ideally be between one third and a half the size of the lamp.