| Birch & Willow creates custom lamp shades. Please see the Materials page |
| to view a sampling of our decorative paper and fabric selections. |
| We can also work with a fabric you send to us. |
Shaded lighting may be one of the last elements you consider when you are designing a new house or sprucing up a room. Yet lamp shade choices can have the greatest influence on how comfortable you are in a room. Lamplight can conjure up the warmth and well being of candlelight or campfire. A well-designed lamp shade can focus light on to a book page without lighting up the whole room. You can create a one-of-a-kind lamp simply by changing the shade.
Consider the lighting plan for your room. The shape, color and material of a shade alters the quality of light and function of a lamp. The following points can be used as a guide to what we think about when we create your lamp shade, as well as what you could be thinking about to establish the functionality, aesthetic appeal and emotional impact of your lighting.
At Birch & Willow, we are happy to help you decide on the correct lamp shade shape and size for you. Click on the topics below for more in-depth information about lamp shades. Please Contact us to find out more about the possibilities.
Shade Shapes & Styles
Birch & Willow utilizes a number of classic lamp shade shapes to enhance the shaded lamps we create. The most common shapes we use are Empire, Bell, Oval, Wide, and Drum. We also have our own style of lamp shades inspired by leaf and pod shapes, called Leaf & Pod shades.
Below is a Cairn lamp with a number of different shade styles.
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| Bell Shade |
Leaf & Pod Shade |
Oval Shade |
Empire Shade |
There are six classic lamp shade styles:
- Empire: slight flair suits most bases; traditional
- Drum: cylindrical shape good for column lamps; contemporary look
- Coolie: dramatic flair good for wide bases
- Square or Rectangular: design to reflect square or rectangular base.
- Oval: with or without flair good for oval bases and narrow spaces.
- Bell: curve adds a dressy look; works best with fabrics.
Then there are the options of star or tri-angular shaped shades to add a more stylized or playful touch to a lamp. Birch & Willow creates a line of seedpod and leaf shaped shades to compliment our lamp bases created with natural materials.
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Lamp Function
The first step in designing a lamp shade is deciding how you will use the lamp:
- General or ambient light – bright, unfocused light
- Reading or task light – bright, focused light
- Accent light – soft, indirect light
- Focal point – lamp & base that make a statement
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Lamp Function
Decide where you want to place the lamp and identify any space constraints. Too large a shade may make the lamp impractical to place on a nightstand, hall table or shelf. A very tall lamp shade may block windows or artwork. If a shade is too small, it won’t accommodate a high wattage bulb needed to brighten a dark corner.
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What Will be Illuminated?
Identify what you want to illuminate:
- Pages of a book with or without emitting general light
- Worktable or dining table that serves as worktable
- A dark corner or hall for aesthetics or safety
- Large room to eliminate shadows and add warmth
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How Much Light?
What wattage bulb do you want to use; do you need? It is important to design a lamp shade that is safe and will have a long and beautiful life. Placing too large a wattage bulb in too small a shade can result in heat build-up. This may cause a safety hazard and will dry out the shade. A thoughtfully designed shade affects the amount of wattage required.
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Paper/Fabric Choice
In choosing the paper or fabric for your shade consider:
- Matching the lamp base
- Matching the other lamp shades in your room
- Using the wallpaper or fabrics in your room
- Adding a playful element to your room
- Adding a point of bright color or warmth
Dark shades help focus light onto a surface without lighting up the surrounding area. A red shade warms up a neutral room. A translucent shade creates an ambient light. Fabric shades are often dressier. A handmade paper shade can be especially warming.
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Proportions and Relationships
There are rules of thumb you can use in determining the proportion of your shade. Before applying rules, look at the base and decide what features you want to highlight. A long, graceful neck can get lost if the shade is tall. A shade that focuses light downward will illuminate the base as well as the tabletop.
The height of a lamp shade is often equal to the height of the base (50/50). Another typical approach is to create a shade equal to half the height of the base (30/60). Feel free to ignore these guides and go wild.
lamp shades have two width dimensions. The top width of a lamp shade is typically narrower than the bottom width. The top diameter often is the same as the width of the shoulder or the foot of the base. Widen the top ring to let light spill upward for an ambient lighting effect. Reduce the top ring to focus light downward. Consider making the bottom diameter at least 2” wider than the broadest point on the lamp base. The relationship of the top ring and bottom ring widths will be determined by the shade shape you choose.
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How to Measure a Lamp Shade
The size of a lamp shade is defined by three measurements: top diameter, bottom diameter, and the length of one side. The length of the side of a shade is rarely the same as the height of the shade. So, it is important not to confuse them. See the diagram below.
The fourth measurement used in determining the size of the lamp shade is the drop. The drop is the distance from the top shade opening to the top of the wire fitter. The top ring or top fitter wire ring is used to support and maintain the top of the lamp shade. There are four standard top fitter wires: washer top, Uno or bridge top, chimney top, and clip-on top. The diagram below indicates the distance from the top of the shade to the top of the fitter wire.
The washer top ring is used with a harp. The Uno or bridge top ring typically screws on to the lamp socket. The chimney top slips over a glass chimney. The clip-on top attaches to a light bulb. The diagram shows the top view of the four fitter wire options.
| washer top |
Uno or bridge top |
chimney top |
clip-on |
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Shape and Aesthetics
The shape of the shade is generally a function of the shape of the base, space constraints and your lighting objectives. The style of your lamp and decor must be considered as well.
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