Lamp Shades

Cheap Lamp Shades

If you see cheap lamp shades for sale, chances are that those lamp shades are perfectly practical but not very pretty. The most beautiful beaded lamp shades and those made from wonderful fabrics such as silk and pure linen are generally not the lowest price lampshades you can find. The cheap shades are probably in quite plain colors and shapes but in many ways that doesn’t matter if that is what your lamp base needs. If you have a very beautiful table lamp sometimes the best way to set that off is with a very simple square or drum lamp shade in cream or white. That way the base gets all the attention it deserves.

Very simple plain lamp shades are most in keeping with contemporary interiors however. In a traditional environment, it is better if your lamp shade has a touch of elegance and, in that case, fabrics and decoration matter.

If you need a fancier lamp shade but you have a limited budget then you have a few options.

Discount Lamp Shades

One way is to look for discount lamp shades which were quite expensive at full price but which have been reduced. You will find these in designer outlet centers and in the lighting department of department stores at sale times as well as in exclusive specialized lighting stores.

Self Adhesive Lampshade (CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS)

Self Adhesive Lampshade
(CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS)

Decorate a Plain Lamp Shade

Another way is to buy a cheap lamp shade in a plain color and fabric and give it the designer touch by decorating it. You probably can’t imagine how many trimmings there are which would work to give your lampshade a unique design, but there are endless variations. You can get some great ideas by looking in the haberdashery department of a big store where they sell trimmings by the meter or yard. You will find all kinds of edgings which you can attach to your plain shade with a glue gun. There are things like fringing made with beads which are fantastic as they catch the light and many different embroidered braids as well as feather edgings for an exotic look.

Cover Your Lamp Shade

Yet another option is to cover your lampshade with exotic paper. You will find some beautiful hand made papers in craft shops. You can do this most easily with a drum lamp shade or a conical one with straight sides. Other shapes are a bit trickier to deal with. Roll you lamp shade over the paper and mark the edges to form a template, then cut out leaving a small margin for overlap. Wrap the paper around the lamp so it is a smooth fit and then use a good glue on the overlap to keep the cover in place. You make can make this even easier if you use a self adhesive lamp shade as then all you have to do is cut out fabric or paper following the included pattern and then apply it to the lampshade.

Drum Lamp Shades

If you’re looking for new lamp shades for your home you may have come across the term “drum lamp shades” in descriptions and not quite known what they are or how to use them so here is my guide to using them in your home.

What are Drum Lamp Shades?

A drum lamp shade is a shade which is cylindrical in nature, typically shaped like an oil drum with the same circumference at the top as at the bottom. You may also come across some shades which have a slightly smaller diameter at the top than the bottom that are still called drum shades. No matter, they are definitely not conical lamp shades where the diameter reduces sharply from a wide base to a much smaller gap at the top!

Drum lamp shade on floor lamp (Click image for details)

Drum lamp shade on floor lamp (Click image for details)

Are They Fashionable?

These lamp shades were very popular in the eighties and then went out of style but they are now making a big come back. Most work better with contemporary rooms than with traditional settings as the latter tend to suit conical and pagoda shapes better than plain cylindrical. Nevertheless if you get the right size shade in the right materials they can enhance traditional interiors too.

Why are They Popular?

A drum lampshade is useful in lighting your interior as they cast light both upwards through the relatively large gap at the top of the shade as well as downwards. Plus they fit well with our need for simple interiors and shapes. As these shades are simple to manufacture you will find many examples which are low in price too. If you choose cheap drum lamp shades in plain shades they are pretty simple to decorate and make unique with trimmings that will give you a designer lamp shade for very little cash.

What Sizes Are Available?

You can get drum shaped lamp shades in all sorts of sizes from very small, with a three inch diameter and six inch height (for fitting the top of a small slim candlestick base) to large drum lamp shades with a diameter of 18 inches or more which look great as pendant lights in contemporary apartments.

How to Choose a Drum Shade

The main thing to take into account is to determine the size of the lamp shade you need. In the previous example the tiny candle stick light would have looked ridiculous with a massive shade and the small shade would have looked out of proportion hanging from the ceiling. So think about what will best suit your situation. Also make sure that the lamp shade can be used on a base or hanging as a pendant (depending what you need it for). Many have interchangeable fittings but it is best to be on the safe side.

Then look at colors and patterns. A black drum lamp shade will look great in a monochromatic room scheme, a hot pink shade in a teenage girl’s bedroom with matching accessories and a neutral cream drum shade (or even one in raffia) in a natural color scheme. You should be able to find drum lamp shades in every color and pattern whether tartan or cow print if you look online! And if not drum lamp shades are relatively easy to cover. If you have a lime green rug you especially want to match up, for example, simply find a paper in a similar shade or one with lime green in the pattern and cover your shade.