The right bedside lamp shade hides the bulb from your pillow and lets through enough warm light to read by without lighting up the whole room. That makes it a slightly different job from an ordinary table lamp shade: you look at it from below, half sitting up, and usually at close range, so its height, fabric and fitting matter more than they would on a console table in the hall.
It is also the cheapest way to change a bedroom. Keep the base, swap a tired pleated shade for a linen drum or an opal glass mushroom, and the whole bedside looks different.
Designers work from a simple rule of thumb: the shade's bottom diameter should be roughly equal to the height of the base (measured to the lampholder), or about twice the base's widest point, and the shade should be about two-thirds as tall as the base. It should cover the lampholder completely but never swallow the base. On a typical bedside lamp that lands at a shade of around 20–30 cm across the bottom and 15–22 cm tall.
Shape follows the base. A round base suits a round or oval shade, a square one a square or oval shade. If your bedside table is narrow and pushed against the wall, an oval or half-round shade sits flush where a round one would catch the wall. Torn between two sizes? Go for the larger one; a shade that is too small looks lost and gives a harsher light.
UK lamps mix bayonet (B22) and screw (E27 ES, E14 SES) lampholders, so the fitting is where most returns start. The common types:
| Fitting | How it attaches | Typical on bedside lamps |
|---|---|---|
| Duplex | a ring that drops over the lampholder, can be flipped for a pendant | the most common fitting on fabric shades |
| Ring (ES/SES) | clamped between lampholder and its shade ring; around 40 mm for E27, 28–30 mm for E14 | continental-style lamps, glass shades |
| Spider and harp | shade rests on a harp under the bulb, held by a finial on top | taller, more traditional lamps |
| Clip-on | clips straight onto a candle bulb | very small shades, around 10–15 cm wide |
| Reducer ring | lets a shade with a wide ring sit on a narrower holder | mixing an ES-ring shade with an SES lamp |
The wire skeleton that holds the fabric is the frame, the part that meets the lamp is the fitting, and the wire cross at the top of a harp-fitted shade is the spider. Measure the hole in the ring with a ruler before ordering; a few millimetres decide whether it fits.
Pale linen and cotton let plenty of warm light through, which is what you want for reading. Velvet and dark fabrics push the light up and down and only glow themselves: lovely for atmosphere, too dim for a paperback. Paper and pleated shades spread light very evenly but dent and mark easily. Opal glass diffuses well and wipes clean; clear or ribbed glass needs a frosted bulb or it will glare. A gold lining warms the light that spills out of the bottom, a white one reflects more of it.
Under fabric, a warm white LED of about 2700 K and roughly 250–470 lm is plenty by the bed. It runs far cooler than an old incandescent, so the fabric keeps its colour longer. Never exceed the maximum wattage printed on the lamp or the shade.
When you sit up in bed, the bottom edge of the shade should sit around chin or shoulder height. Lower and the light falls on the duvet, higher and you look straight at the bulb. Matching lamps either side of a double bed should wear identical shades, even if the bases differ. On a very low lamp, the top opening shows the bulb as you walk past; a frosted bulb or a diffuser disc solves that. Changing a shade is not electrical work, but rewiring a lamp or replacing a lampholder is, so unplug first and leave it to a qualified electrician if in doubt.
Dust fabric shades with a soft brush, a lint roller or the brush attachment of the vacuum. Most are glued to their frame, so keep them out of the washing machine. Wash glass shades in lukewarm soapy water once they are completely cool, and refit them only when dry.
Bottom diameter about equal to the base height, shade height about two-thirds of the base, and the lampholder hidden from view.
For bedside reading, a pale linen or cotton shade with a warm white bulb. For a softer, moodier glow, a darker or lined fabric shade.
There is no fixed answer. What matters more is that the shade's bottom edge sits around chin height when you sit up, so the light lands on your book and not in your eyes; the lamp should also look in scale with the headboard.
Yes. Match the fitting type and ring size to your lampholder, then size the shade to your base using the rule above.
Linen for reading, velvet for atmosphere. Linen lets far more light through; velvet looks richer but keeps most of the light inside.
It is risky: most fabric shades are bonded to a backing with glue, which water and dye can lift. Swapping the shade is usually the cleaner option.
Prefer a clear bedside table? Read about bedside wall lights. For shades for floor, pendant and table lamps, see lampshades.
