Q: I've inherited a pair of hobnail milk glass lamps from my grandmother. I always loved them in her Victorian farmhouse, but I'm not sure they fit in our bungalow. We have mostly mid-century pieces that my husband and I have been collecting. What kind of shade can I put on these lamps to help them integrate with our mid-century aesthetic? Any other advice for helping them blend in?
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Simple white barrel shade.
I would either pick a color for your lamp shades that matches your mid-century decor or choose a neutral brown that compliments the wood in the room.
A Black Drum shade w/ Gold Foil Lining.
I just use a simple white cone shade on my hobnail milkglass lamp. It doesn't compete with the base, and keeps it from being overly-frilly, which the scalloped base of my lamp is in danger of becoming.
I would do a sleek, shiny brown shade in a barrel shape. And I think the contrast is great! Or if you wanted to be crazy get a tinted bulb and leave them shade-less!
You can spray paint the lamps themselves.
@bepsf: You are a riot.
I vote for something simple. This is a sweet lamp, I love it!
I would find a polka dot sheer/white fabric (1/2" dots)and have a shade made with white dingle balls as an edging. The shade size has to do with where you put them, as well as the size of the lamps themselves, but imitating the cylinder base in proportion would be nice. Oh, and put a colored bulb inside once in awhile for fun!
Something with a traditional cone shape but with a fun, bright color like a teal that might give it that mid-century aesthetic you're looking for
I'm with puddle!
I have a pair of very similar lamps (but taller) that I bought from ebay and love. They came without shades so I had the same dilemma. I bought a pair of silk(ish) drum shades that are gray/blue with a few horizontal stripes of gold and white and darker blue (from Home Goods -- very inexpensive shades). It all depends on what colors you have in the rest of the room. I opted for a darker color that allows the white milk glass to stand out.
Here's a similar pair of boudoir lamps on ebay with original shades: a Swiss dot with pompoms (as Carolyn Robbins described above). I have a few of these small lamps without harps and haven't been able to find any clip-on shades that I really care for; they've all been dullsville white cone shapes.
Sorry, I say dump the lamps. You can push them into country, generic vintage, Victorian, or kitsch. But I just can't envision them mid-century or Arts & Crafts, no matter how I strain.