Tips For Choosing Lamp Shades

Lamps are one of the few light fixtures that practically every home in America has. We love lamps because they’re moveable, (that’s why they’re also called “portables,”) they’re functional and we can swap them out easily for a new, updated look. Unfortunately, while it’s easy for us to find a lamp base that we love, it’s often a bit more difficult to choose a lamp shade to match. Here are a few tips and tricks for choosing the right lamp shades for your lamps.

Style

Take note of what style your home is but also what style your lamp base is. For example, if your lamp base features an almost urn-like shape and quality, your style is probably a bit more traditional and you may be best suited with a lamp shade that is also traditional: the tapered look.

That being said, it is also worth noting that just as you can mix different styles, you can also mix and match with light fixtures. A traditional base with a modern drum shade? Perfectly acceptable. Just don’t go overboard and choose some crazy combination like an ultra-traditional lamp base with a funky Moroccan styled lamp shade, it won’t look right no matter how hard you try.

Lamps everywhere feature different styles and your lamp should reflect not only it’s own style, but also the style of your home. Light fixtures are meant to compliment the style, not fight with it! So keep this in mind and your space will look better for it.

Shade Opaqueness

Should you choose a more translucent shade or an opaque shade? Opaque shades are meant more for lamps that are used as accent lighting, whereas more translucent shades are best for adding to ambient (general) lighting, so keep this in mind when you’re shopping. If your lamp is an accent piece, by all means, go opaque, but if you use your lamps to read or illuminate the area, try to find more translucent shades.

Diameter

If you’re struggling with what size lamp shade you should purchase, then this simple trick might help. To determine what the bottom diameter of your shade should be, measure the height of the lamp from the base to the top of the stem. Your shade’s diameter should then be within two inches of the lamp’s height.

For example, if your lamp stands at 14 inches, you can choose a lamp shade that is a minimum of 12 inches in diameter and a maximum of 16 inches in diameter.

Remember, this number refers to the bottom diameter. If you’re choosing a drum shade, this is simpler. If you’re choosing a tapered shade, only focus on the bottom diameter!

Lamps are an important fixture in our homes. They illuminate, they have function and purpose, they can even be used to accent an area. That being said, the shade you choose is important. However, that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult, either! In the end, if it looks right, then it must be right!

By: Melanie Lawlor Cooper

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Melanie enjoys enlightening others about light fixtures we can all use to enhance our homes. Whether with outdoor lighting fixtures or gorgeous pendant lighting options, she knows which will really make residential spaces stand out!