So you have picked out a gorgeous new table lamp for your home. But how much thought did you contribute into the colour? The right lampshade can transform a humdrum base into something exquisite, although the wrong colour can make the most stunning lamp look seriously proportioned or unsuitable to the space, or create it awkward to use.
These tips will allow you to opt for the colour that is ideal for your lamp and your own setting.
Height
for a guideline, select a shade that is two-thirds the elevation of the base. That ratio guarantees that the lamp will not look high or bottom heavy.
You also want to make sure the color doesn’t expose some of the hardware beneath, like the harp (the cable frame around the lightbulb).
Kristen Rivoli Interior Design
Shape
If the base is around, it is going to look best with a round color.
A square or angular base usually looks best with a square colour.
The exclusion: If you are putting a square-base lamp onto a round dining table, you may like to echo the tabletop by employing a round color.
Charmean Neithart Interiors
In general, however, it is best to select a color that reflects the form of the base and the form of this table it is sitting on.
AM Dolce Vita
A candlestick lamp looks great with just about any form of colour.
Lauren Liess Interiors
Width
The broadest part of the colour must be at least a half inch wider on each side than the broadest line of this base.
Lindy Donnelly
Consider the location of this lamp. You do not need to crash into the colour every time you get in or out of bed, for instance. Make sure the color doesn’t extend past the tabletop.
Regan Baker Design Inc..
The same holds true for a lamp onto a hallway table: Do not let it stick out so far that you bang into it once you walk by.
(And yes, this lamp has a round base and a squarish colour. But the exclusion makes sense here, because the color can sit flush against the wall, minimizing collisions at a high-traffic area.)
Laura Collins Design
Translucency
If you want the lamp to read by or to shed ambient light, proceed with a translucent shade.
Horchow
If you are using the lamp just as an accent light and do not want it to light up the space or to shed light on a job, an opaque color may be good choice.
Rick Hoge
Pleating
Pleated lampshades tend to look more conventional; they’re appropriate in rooms furnished with antiques or which have a great deal of pattern and detail.
If the space is modern, proceed with a nonpleated colour. If you’ve got a modern room and really wish to utilize a pleated lampshade, try out a box pleat — its geometric layout will look fresher and more modern than that of its traditional counterpart.