You have decided on where you want to put your new shade, picked a design and now for the tricky part. Size it really does matter, when talking to customers about ordering or commissioning a shade most of the time is taken up with deciding the size of a shade. In this blog I want to pass on a few tips which come from experience of making lots of shades for the ceiling and standard and table lamps.
Let’s start with table shades
Keeping everything in proportion is vital so your lamp isn’t dwarfed by a giant shade or unbalanced by a small one
Lampshades have 2 important measurements, the diameter of the shade and the height. Normally in a shop you only get to choose the diameter of the shade you purchase but when you buy from a bespoke lamp shade maker you can also specify the height.
Should you be in a dilemma when your lamp is in between two sizes of lampshade, choose the larger of the two as proportionally it sits better and distributes more light.
The perfect sized lampshade should hide the fittings underneath without encroaching upon the lamp base itself.
Bear in mind where you will be positioning your lamp in the room; will there be plenty of space around it, or will it be in close proximity to a wall, a piece of furniture or placed near the path of frequent footfall?
If so, it makes sense to choose one with a narrow profile and pair it with an equally narrow shade, then it’s less likely to get damaged, people often choose one of my table lights if this is the case.
As a rule of thumb, a lampshade should be a similar width to the height of the lamp base, the lampshade should be wider than the widest section of the lamp base and the height of the shade should be approx. 2/3 height of the lamp base.
Very thin lamp bases such as candlestick bases are very forgiving and the size of the shade is more flexible, pebble shaped lamp bases look great if you match the diameter of the shade with the diameter and the base.
Ceiling shades
Generally I don’t make lampshades for the ceiling any smaller than 30cm in diameter and this is for practical reasons. Lights are there to give out light and lampshades need to diffuse the light, too small a ceiling shade won’t give out much light. There are a few exceptions; in my own very long narrow landing I have 3 ceiling shades all matching which are 25cm diameter shades. It looks fine, (I’d photograph it but as my small children have turned that area into a Lego workshop, I am not able).
My favourite size for a moderate room (16m square) is at least a 35cm diameter with a height of 24cm.
If I’m making a shade for a bedroom a diffuser is a nice touch as it reduces the glare of the bulb.
Choosing the right size of ceiling shade is much more a matter of choice than choosing a table lamp shade as you are not tied to issues of proportion, do bear in mind that you have enough head height below the shade and be willing to lengthen or shorten the ceiling pendant flex if necessary.
Standard lampshades
I’ve made many standard lamp shades and really the size only depends on the height of the base. The diameter of the shade should be about twice that of the widest part of the base and the height should be about 40% of the whole lamp base height.
Ensure that is you are using it for reading or close up work that the diameter is wide enough for you to sit under the shade. Sometimes I make shades with a shade carrier and duplex rings, this allows a shade to hang lower over the lamp base and cover the lamp holder. If you would like more information about ordering lampshades please contact me or to see my FAQ’S.
I