Lamp Shades

Leather Lamp Shades

There are two distinct types of leather lamp shades and each type is for a very different style of room. There are those rustic lamp shades destined for rooms with southwestern style decor. And then there are the ultra contemporary leather lamp shades which are the darling of the interior design elite.

Southwestern Style Leather lamp Shades

Any western lamp shade is quite distinctive in style. These are often made of rawhide and have visible stitching in thick leather lacing. They are generally made in classic shapes and natural colors such as sand and rust which gives them a look of age perfectly in keeping with the style of a southwestern or Native American style abode whether you live in a ranch, cottage, cabin or log home. Rawhide lamp shades have to be looked after quite carefully despite their rustic appearance as they can be quite fragile under the hot conditions of a lamp.

Take care of your natural leather lamp shade by using a low wattage bulb, keeping it away from direct sunlight and conditioning it regularly. The problem with rawhide, in particular, is that it is not tanned like normal leather so it contracts and expands with heat and humidity. The main problem is with the hide splitting if it is subjected to too much heat. This is especially the case with mini leather chandelier lamp shades as the shade is so near the bulb.

Faux Raw Hide Lamp Shade (Click Image for Details)

Faux Raw Hide Lamp Shade (Click Image for Details)

Apply neatsfoot oil to your leather shade every week to give it the best protection and buy a shade which is large enough for your lamp to let the heat escape easily. Keep the wattage of the bulb a low as possible too and do not have the lamp on when the room is not in use to cut down on drying out.

No matter what you do, a rawhide lamp shade will eventually wear out but you may be willing to live with that as part of normal wear and tear in your home expecting to replace your shade every few years if you love these lamp shades and they are just right for your decor. Rawhide lampshades, especially those in pale colors, are quite special as they have a translucent quality which is quite unique. They do not block light in quite the same way as a thicker leather lampshade.

Contemporary Leather Lamp Shades

Contemporary leather lamp shade and base (Click Image for details)

Contemporary leather lamp shade and base (Click Image for details)

You will typically find a contemporary leather lamp shade in the form of a large drum shade on a table lamp on the pages of interior design magazines. They are often faux finish leather rather than the genuine article however, as leather which is not properly treated may dry out and become brittle with the heat from the light bulb – something to watch out for if you buy a genuine leather light shade. As well as a smooth leather finish, you will often find contemporary lamp shades in suede which adds an interesting texture to your lamp.

Colors of these modern lamp shades tend to be typical leather colors of black and brown although you will find some lighter natural colors too such as cream, coffee and beige. You will usually find faux leather lamp shades paired with ultra contemporary chrome lamp bases as well as those made from a solid block of wood or sculpted natural stone or bronze. In many cases, it is actually easier to buy a lamp with a leather shade than to buy leather shades individually when you are looking at contemporary lamps which is annoying when all you want to do is replace a shade with something ultra modern but if you look hard enough you should be able to find what you are looking for.

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

The Best Red Lamp Shades

There are all kinds of red lamp shades from the fun, funky kind, best suited to kids and teenagers rooms to sophisticated silk beaded chandelier lamp shades which would look wonderful in a formal living room. You can use them in a traditional setting where something like a Chinese lamp base and red shade would look good to the most contemporary of rooms where a plain ceramic lamp base with red drum shade would look just right.

Of course, a red lamp shade is not right for every room as it is a color full of drama and traditionally signals danger as well as excitement so it is generally not the color for a relaxed neutral living room or soft romantic bedroom (unless mixed with a lot of white) but if you have a room where red adds just the right accent color then you might like to take a look at this collection of red lampshades for inspiration.

From the examples here, you will see that lamps add to much more than lighting to your room. A red lamp can often stand alone as an object to be admired and will act as a focal point in your room. Just be sure to balance the red with other similarly colored objects so that it does not stand too much alone and feels integrated into the overall color scheme.

Also, if you have an exquisite lamp base, a plain red lamp shade may be all you need to show it at its best as you will see from some of these examples. If you don’t see what you are looking for here, there are many more red lamp shades to be found here.

Red Silk Chandelier Shade

Red Silk Chandelier Shade

 

This Red Silk Chandelier Shade is 4.5 inches in diameter and has a gold tone inner frame. Attaches easily to a chandelier light fitting for an instant change in ambiance to your room. For more more details CLICK HERE.

 
Marlene Contemporary Table Lamp

Marlene Contemporary Table Lamp

 

30″ Contemporary black and red table lamp with black ceramic lamp base and tall plain red drum shade 10″ in diameter. Click Here for more details.

 

 

This unusual black floor lamp with three shelves of painted wood and red silk shade would look wonderful in a contemporary living room. 63″ high. You can get more details of this floor lamp here where you’ll also find that there is a matching table lamp – a perfect set.

 
Red and black floor lamp with shelves

Red and black floor lamp with shelves
Red Ladybug lamp shade

Red Ladybug lamp shade

 

This fun red ladybug lamp shade is part of a matching collction of items for a child’s room. You can get details of the lamp shade and other items HERE.

 

 

This beautiful red and silver billiard light fitting with red glass lamp shades would look wonderful over a special dining table. Also available in other finishes. For details CLICK HERE.

 
Red and Silver billiard lamp

Red and Silver billiard lamp
Red and White Toile Lamp Shade

Red and White Toile Lamp Shade

 

If you are looking for something different from the standard red table lamp shades you find then this striking red and white French toile design by JoJo designs may be just what you are looking for. There are a number of matching items available too to help complete your room decoration (although don’t go overboard and buy everything!) You can get by details here.

 
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