Decorative lampshades are easy to find and easy to make. You might be surprised by how much changing your shades can freshen up a room.
Sources for Beautiful Lampshades
It is possible to change an ordinary room into something extraordinary with just a few simple embellishments. You can search for lampshades in department stores, home decorating businesses, and home improvement stores. You may also find unique and out-of-the-ordinary shades in specialty shops and online. Other places to look include the following:
- eBay- If you haven't already checked out eBay, you may be surprised at what you find. Keep in mind that the merchandise selection changes on a daily basis, however, with new listings added any time during the day and night. Don't forget to check out the various eBay stores that are listed at the bottom of each page as well.
- Antique stores-You can often find vintage lamps and/or lampshades at antique stores. Look for period pieces from various decades, each with its own individual style. Victorian period pieces often use lace, brocade, and other rich materials on pewter, metal, or crystal lamps.
- Vintage and thrift stores- Don't just look in antique shows for lampshades. Try your local vintage or thrift stores. You never know what treasures you may find! Art deco lamps may feature bright colors of red, orange, and lime green on shiny ceramic, popping plastic, and metal lamps with contrasting or matching shades that are sure to attract anyone in the room. If you like the hip look of the 60s, you'll love the selection of lamps from this period. Look for "mushroom" lamps in bright colors. Typically made of plastic with mushroom-shaped lampshades, these lamps will provide a warm glow to any room in your home.
- Garage and yard sales- Does your town hold community thrift sales? Are you an early riser that loves searching for bargains all over town? If so, you may run across lamps and lampshades that are just what you're looking for! Don't be put off by a little dirt. Sometimes, all the lamp needs is a little cleaning, or you can pick up a lampshade for practically nothing and recreate it into a work of art!
Ways to Decorate a Lampshade
Even the plainest lampshade can become a conversation piece with a little work and a lot of imagination. Even if you don't feel very creative, there are loads of ideas to help you with your decorative lampshades makeovers. Check out the following:
- HGTV offers some wonderful ideas for remaking an ordinary lampshade into something beautiful. The website gives details on how to make memory lampshades, pierced lampshades, and signed lampshades among others. For the signed lampshade, all you'll need is a lampshade and paint pens. How easy is that?
- The DIY Network also offers lots of great ideas for making lampshades. They suggest gathering supplies such as handmade paper, decorative borders, beads, sequins, and more.
You don't have to follow someone else's idea to create a one-of-a-kind lampshade, however. Look around your home, and gather up any lampshades that you want to resurrect. Next, gather together supplies, like the following:
- Scrap material
- Lace
- Buttons
- Sequins
- Beads
- Glue gun
- Fabric paint
- Paint pens
- Seashells
- Appliqués
- Other accessories
Use your imagination and a glue gun to decorate a lampshade to match virtually any decor.
Turn Inexpensive Lampshades Into Decorative Treasures
You can often find inexpensive lampshades at hobby shops, home improvement stores, and even dollar stores. The cheaper the better if you plan on decorating or covering the lamp anyway. If you mess up the first couple of lamps as you experiment with a style, you really haven't lost much money. Good luck, and have fun!
