Lamp Shades

Beaded Lamp Shades

Beaded lamp shades have been popular for many years which means that you can buy brand new, or, if you love things with a sense of age about them, look around antique stores for old or Victorian beaded lamp shades. Just be careful, if you go for an antique, that it is genuine and only buy from reputable sellers. You may like the lamp shade and be prepared to pay for it but you are paying too much if you are buying at antique prices and getting a reproduction.

It’s no wonder that we love beaded light shades. There is the attractive nature of the beads themselves. They make a lamp shade beautiful just like any other item in your home enhanced with beading. There is also an extra attraction when it comes to lamps, as beads sparkle when they catch the light. You can see this effect pushed to its limits with those huge ballroom chandeliers made entirely of crystal droplets. If you like chandeliers but don’t have a ballroom to decorate, you can get a more subtle yet beautiful effect with beaded chandelier shades where each mini shade is edged with beaded fringing.

Beautiful Beaded Swag Pendant (Click Image for Details and Discount)

Beautiful Beaded Swag Pendant (Click Image for Details and Discount)

Beaded lampshades are a little more expensive than other shades because of the extra work that goes into them and the cost of materials but beading is quite easy to add to a lamp. You can create your own beaded lamp shade by gluing a layer of beading around the shade using a glue gun or by stitching or gluing single beads in place. This can result in a big saving especially if you need a number of beaded chandelier lamp shades for a light fitting.

When buying beaded fringing, measure around the base of the lamp shade and add a little extra. You do not need to overlap the edging but you want to make sure that the beading goes all the way around without a gap. If you are using individual beads, be sure to work out your pattern in advance and mark it onto the lamp shade lightly in pencil before you begin. If you have a plastic or canvas shade you will be better to glue on the beads and if you have a silk shade you are better to stitch. If you are stitching on your beads make sure that they are the kind that have a hole for the needle to go through!

The only beaded lamps which are not easy to tackle yourself are the glass beaded lamp shades which are composed mainly of beads strung or wired together. Unless you have experience in making these kinds of objects, you are better to buy shades like this from e-commerce stores online or local stores. You will often find these beaded lamp shades for sale in furniture stores and high end interior design boutiques along with ready made simple beaded shades.

Whatever your requirements, if you would like to browse or buy beaded lamp shades online you will find them on sale HERE many at a discount

Glass Lamp Shades

Why Use Glass lamp Shades?

Glass lamp shades are some of the most elegant lamp shades you can find and they have a beauty rarely surpassed by fabric shades. It is the nature of glass which gives them that edge as it can be made into wonderful shapes, stained with attractive colors giving it an opaque look (while still allowing the light to shine through) and it can even be cut into small colored shapes and crafted into a reproduction Tiffany style lamp shade which is a work of art in itself.

Yet glass shades are not all copies of the kind of antique glass lamp shapes you pay a fortune for at auction, you can also buy contemporary glass lamp shades and light fittings which would look just right in a modern loft apartment. In fact, these modern glass creations will often be the focal point in a minimalist scheme.

Glass Lamp with Crackle Lamp Shade (Click Image for Details)

Glass Lamp with Crackle Lamp Shade (Click Image for Details)

Replacement Glass Lamp Shades

Although they are beautiful, glass shades are unfortunately pretty easy to break so you do need to take care with your shade. While they are not so fragile that you need to treat them with kid gloves, they will probably crack or shatter if you knock them over or drop them. Then you will be faced with looking for replacement glass lamp shades which is not always an easy task unless the manufacturer is still making the same kind. You may be lucky however and find a similar glass lamp shade in your local store. Take your base if possible (easier with a table lamp than a floor lamp) when you look around and see if you can find something that will fit your lamp and suit the style. At the very least take notes of the fitting such as dimensions and so on so that the store assistant can help you.

How to Choose a Glass Lamp Shade

The style of shade you should choose very much depends on the effect you want to achieve. If you are going for a period or antique look then frosted glass lamp shades in a classic shape (such as you find on an oil lamp) will be just right. If you have a romantic style bedroom then a flower shaped shade with fluted edges in cranberry glass might be just the thing. And if you have a floor lamp look at torchiere glass lamp shades which funnel the light upwards towards the ceiling (torchiere comes from the French word for torch) and will cast a wash of light over your room. If your traditional style living room need a focal point then you might like to look at stained glass lamp shades which will add a touch of beauty to your room. Finally for a contemporary room look at the many chrome and glass light fittings which you will find in interior design and specialist upmarket lighting stores as well as cheap and cheerful furniture stores specializing in the latest designs such as IKEA.