There are quite a few issues to reconsider when choosing a lamp shade. After 27 years of helping dealers, designers and sell customers match their lamps and shades these defining points which will allow you to rejoinder this sometimes daunting inquire for yourself.
Table Lamp
Beauty is not the only thing in the eye of the beholder. Individuals may already have preconceived ideas of the right size, shape, color, material, etc. For a particular lamp shade. Further, after one has looked upon and lived with a confident lamp and shade aggregate for years any deviation from that can very likely be perceived as "wrong". So, how can you be sure that a particular lamp shade is right or that it "goes" with the lamp? Keep three basic points leading in your mind: portrayal style, shade size and shade vertical location.
Portrayal Style: First and foremost, what do you wish to portray with the lamp? Look at your lamp and rule what style it is such as contemporary, traditional, antique, funky, etc. If you for real cannot see a exact style then you must rule what is the style or look that you wish to portray with this lamp. You will want the basic look or style of your lamp shade to compliment, not clash with the lamp style itself. You ordinarily do not want a very ornate and detailed shade if you wish to portray the clean lines of a very contemporary lamp. Likewise, you do not want a clean cut Chinese coolee type shade for a lamp that you want to portray as a primary style. Think in terms of like styles for the lamp and shade. This does not mean like colors, textures, size etc. But general style. Once you have decided the general lamp style that you wish to portray, then you can begin concentrating on other details.
Shade Size: This characteristic of your lamp shade like all the others will of course be subjective and will vary with the observer. But there are some guidelines that will help you rule the boundaries within which you must consider. You are basically looking for a balance in lamp and shade sizes that will make the lamp look neither top heavy or lowest heavy when viewed from a distance of about 20 feet away.
There are four (4) measurements to reconsider when choosing a shade: top diameter (across), lowest diameter (across), side distance (slope), and drop. The drop is the vertical distance the shade washer is from the top edge of the shade. Do not be too concerned with the drop. The drop and the harp size will rule the shade vertical location which we will cover later. You just need to be aware that dissimilar shades do have dissimilar drops. Small changes in the lowest diameter (1"-2") will have a dramatic ensue on the look of your lamp. The same applies to the side distance and top diameter. The numerous combinations of these varied measurements can be mind boggling. Below are some exact guidelines that you can carry with you to the store when choosing a lamp shade.
Medium - small size primary or antique style lamps that are 20" - 27" tall to the top of the shade will likely want shades about 9" - 11" side distance and 16" - 19" lowest diameter.
Medium size primary or antique style lamps that are 27" - 30" tall to the top of the shade will likely want shades about 11" - 13" side distance and 16" - 19" lowest diameter.
Large size primary or antique style lamps that are 30" - 36" tall to the top of the shade will likely want shades about 12" - 15" side distance and 18" - 20" lowest diameter.
For each of the above examples, contemporary lamp shades will ordinarily have larger lowest diameters and possibly side distance as well. Larger diameter lamps want larger diameter shades and more slender lamps want smaller diameter shades.
Multiple socket lamps are a extra consideration that should be addressed by an experienced lighting pro that you will find in most reputable lamp and lighting showrooms.
Shade Vertical Location: This characteristic of your lamp shade is fairly simple to judge. It is the vertical location of the lowest edge of your lamp shade. On a particular socket lamp this will practically all the time be about 2" below the lowest of the socket assembly. To rule the precise vertical location, first look straight across the lowest edge of the lamp shade and visually line up the near edge of the shade with the far edge of the shade. This line should then intersect about 2" below the lowest of the socket assembly for most particular socket lamps. The way that you adjust this vertical location of the lamp shade is with the Harp. This is the "U" shaped wire that attaches the lamp to the shade and it comes in dissimilar lengths from about 4" on up.
Shorter shades will want shorter harps and longer shades will want longer harps. Many socket lamps are a extra consideration and I strongly suggest pro guidance for these instances, especially for safety concerns as well as aesthetic values.
Summary: Use the above ideas as a general guideline and it should get you started in the right direction. For added assistance I strongly suggest a reputable lamp and lighting showroom as this type store will likely have knowledgeable experienced staff who are well qualified to help you with the many subtle intricacies of lamp shade selection.
- Jim Hoyle
How To adopt a Lamp Shade
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