apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

oooh I frankly think the lampshade is often the most important part of the piece! What I really hate is a gorgeous base & neck with a super-cheap flimsy shade! My biggest concern is always the look & feel of the material- so many can look really cheap if you're not careful! - http://cozylittlecave.blogspot.com

good topic....anyone have suggestions/resources for the best way to calculate if a lampshade is proportional to the base (other than trial and error)?

After dealing with long searches for off the shelf shades in sizes I need, I've found that custom-sized shades from http://www.fenchelshades.com/ are quick, easy and very reasonably priced.

I typically decide what general size I need based on the overall size of the base - but my preferred diameter for drum shades (my personal favorite and the easiest to work with) are @ 1.5x the widest part of the lamp base, and anywhere from 1/2 to equal the height of the base (again, depending on the base itself - for wide and squat bases, I might even go double or triple than the overall height for an exaggerated MCM/Hollywood Regency-style appearance) Harps come in all sorts of sizes and they're quite cheap so it's easy to swap them out if a taller or shorter size is necessary to fit a new shade.

I really hate seeing any more of the lighting hardware than I need to and I don't concern myself w/ needing to reach up to turn the switch on/off since I almost always use Lutron dimmers for my lamps - so I always measure so that the base of my shade will be just at the height of the top of the base so that when I'm looking dead-on I can just barely see the brass neck attachment. (Of course for a lamp like the rock shown above, this wouldn't apply - You'd need to show some neck.)

Finally, I've found that rather than using the bland old brass caps on the tops of harps, finials are a fun and relatively inexpensive way to add character and style to lamps - if the top of the shade is 2-3" higher than the harp, there are spacers that will allow your finials to rise above the top of the shade and be seen.

"anyone have suggestions/resources for the best way to calculate if a lampshade is proportional to the base (other than trial and error)?"

GG--

I've included some rough proportions above - and diameter-wise I pretty much stick to that - but it's mostly up to you as far as the effect you're looking for, particularly height-wise.

IMO, folks more often err on the side of shades that are too small than shades that are too large - and you'll know it when you see it. Bear in mind that shades that are "too tall" can easily be adjusted for height by sizing up with the harp.

i just bring the lamp base with me to the store. that way i can see exactly how each shade looks, and select the one that is the best option.

and i also agree on the finials. finding the perfect finial is the sprinkles on the icing on the cake? something along those lines!

I actually sent a question in to the SF board about finding a lampshade for a lamp I have but it hasn't been posted yet. Right now there is a drum shade on it that it came with but it doesn't look right, it's too big.

I have a an East Indian pot-belly brass lamp. I tried a modern drum shade on it and it just didn't work like I wanted it to. I put a koolie-bell shade on it and *zing*! it looks hot. A black shade looks better against the brass than the neutral ivory I chose because the couch is choco-brown.

The point is, sometimes keeping with the intended stle of the lamp, as opposed to contrast, is a good thing. I noted that all of the lamps above are curvy with drum shades, but not every lamp looks it's best with that modern shape.

thanks bepsf.

my vintage lamp came with a too small shade (as you say, it's pretty evident). I'll try your formula and see where that gets me....it probably won't be worse than what I'm starting with :o)

I agree that often the right shade will look much too big for the lamp until you put it on. That said, if you end up with a shade that's too short, often you can get a shorter harp and it will look OK.

What a great post, I agree the lampshade makes the lamp. My customers bring there lamps in with them and I customize a shade for them. Visit http://shandells.com to see.
The best part is the finial, like a bonnet on a lady.

I recently ran into difficulty finding a lampshade for a thrifted lamp. It seems like most shades are now either harps, or the kind that fits under the bulb (is that uno? Not familiar with the term). My lamp had no harp (or way to attach one), and wouldn't fit the other kind. I couldn't find a clip shade anywhere.

Luckily I discovered lamp shade clip adapters. They convert any harp style shade into a clip shade. The shade can end up seeming a little low, so it won't work for every lamp or every shade, but it did allow me to find a solution for my lamp, and for just a couple bucks.

is it just me or is finding a simple, good quality drum shade really difficult? in stores I usually see the skinnier-on-top and wider-on-bottom shades, but not really drum ones. if you've got any cheap sources, let me know!