Accessories for Lampshades

A new lampshade is the cheapest makeover a lamp can get: the base and the wiring stay, yet the lamp changes character completely – from office-grade to cosy, from grandma’s parlour to modern. The trouble is that a shade bought by eye tends to droop like an oversized hat or expose the socket like trousers that are too short. In this guide we explain how to choose a lampshade: which size proportions always work, how a cone differs from a cylinder and the empire form, how the material – fabric, linen, paper, glass or wickerwork – transforms the light, and how to check the fitting so the new shade actually fits your lamp.

Dust on a lampshade acts like a filter: it swallows up to a third of the light, cools the colour towards grey and makes even the prettiest lamp look tired. The good news is that in most cases a few minutes and a soft cloth are all it takes – as long as you match the method to the material. Because what saves a glass shade will ruin a paper one, and water that won’t harm fabric can permanently deform rattan. In this guide we show you step by step how to clean a lampshade of every material – fabric and linen, paper, rattan and wicker, and glass – how to remove dust and stains and how to refresh a yellowed shade, and when it’s cheaper and wiser to simply replace it.