Best Lampshades
Your home is your own space to customize and personalize without interference from anyone. You choose your own furniture, themes, accessories, and lighting so your home expresses you best.
Many people tend to ignore the smaller details which bring a living space together, such as the accessories of your home and lighting. Using lamps, you can transform the atmosphere of your home into a warmer, softer, and more decorative space.
All it takes is the right lampshades to do it.
| Rank | Product | Highlights |
| #1 |  Tootoo Star Barrel Lamp Shade
|
|
| #2 |  Alucset Drum Fabric Lampshades
|
|
| #3 |  Brentwood Vintage Empire Lamp Shade
|
|
| #4 |  Aspen Creative Transitional Hardback Drum Lamp Shade
|
|
| #5 |  Mkono Macrame Lamp Shade
|
|
| #6 |  Royal Designs True Bell Lamp Shades
|
|
What to Look For When Shopping
— Sizes
An issue with lamps is that there is no one standard size. Your job as the buyer is to make sure you know the measurements of your personal lamp before you buy and shades to go with it. When going into the store, the easiest thing to do is bring your lamp base with you for exact sizing. When buying online the best you can do is measure your own lamp base beforehand, and keep some of the following points in mind when choosing a shade:
- The height of your new shade should be ¾ of the height of your base. This keeps an overall balance of your lamp and doesn’t allow the shade to overpower your base.
- The entire width of your lamp should measure the same as the lamp’s entire height for a greater umbrella effect over your light.
- The shade should be at least half an inch wider than the base from all sides, for a well-distributed appearance.
- None of the hardware inside of the lamp, such as the wires and bulbs, should be seen. If they are, you have too small a shade that won’t do you much good in practicality and presentation.
- The smaller your space is, the smaller your lampshade should be. Clustered and cramped areas look uneven when there is a large lamp. The same goes for larger areas. A small shade will throw off the balance in the room.
— Shapes
There are many shapes you can investigate when searching for the perfect lamp shade.
• Drum Shade
A modest cylindrical shade which evenly distributes light up and downward. Minimalistic and modern styles will welcome a drum shade in their midst.
• Oval Shade
Oval shades are more welcome in rustic and elegant décor settings, where a unique and well-rounded shape will find solace in any part of the room.
• Geometric Shade
These shades are rectangular and square shaped, so they’re best when your lamp needs to fit in a corner or besides a wall. They are made for modern design and geometric interiors.
• Empire Shade
The empire shade is the classic ‘frustum’ shape with a smaller top than bottom. It’s a modest cone shape which points more light down than it does up. These are greatly appreciated shades in traditional settings.
• Coolie Shade
This shade is a more extreme rendition of the empire shade. It’s more comfortable in a contemporary setting where the drastic emphasis of its shape is complemented by other striking profiled furniture pieces.
• Bell Shade
This shade is the embodiment of lighting elegance. With curves and concave sides, it makes your lights more graceful and gentle, emitting ambient light through the bottom of its bell. These shades go very well with vintage looks.
— Materials
• Silk
Silk is a luxury material which scatters light very uniquely. It’s great for decorative lighting and can come in a wide variety of colors.
• Linen
This is the common-found material for most shades. Linen has a beautiful natural color and is great with subtlety, when you don’t want your lamp to be the center of attention in your room.
• Cotton
This fabric is also great with absorbing dyes and can come in a wide variety of designs, shades, and patterns.
• Glass
Opaque glass is what you’ll find used with ceiling and wall lights. They give off strong reflected ambient light. They can also be tinted for decoration purposes.
• Plastic
This is the more affordable option in comparison to glass, though it’s more susceptible to scratches and general damage.
• Metal
Made for industrial use, metal is better at directing light than it is spreading it around.
— Lamp Types
There is a wide variety of lamp types and styles you can come across, so it’s best to know all of them before you buy a shade too large or small for your requirements.
- Table lamps are your trusted portable lamps which stay by your side and illuminate a smaller area. More often they are used for a smaller source of ambient lighting, perhaps by the bed or on a side table near a sofa or chair.
- Buffet lamps are decorative lamps that come mostly in pairs. You can see these lamps standing proudly in dining rooms, lounges, and living rooms, as they center the rest of the furniture.
- Floor lamps are the next possibility. They are made to provide greater light to an area and can come in a wide variety of styles.
- Console lamps are best explained as larger table lamps. They provide general lighting to an area.
- Torchiere lamps make a statement and illuminate rooms drastically with their upward shade.
- Arc floor lamps resemble blue bells, the way they hang below them, more suited for task or accent lighting.
- Finally, there are track tree lamps which have numerous bulbs on the same body. They allow for directed light in a patterned array for greater light and greater uniqueness.
You may be interested in: Best Floor Lamps for Your Bedroom
Best Lamp Shades
1. Tootoo Star Barrel Lamp Shade
SPECS:
- Dimensions: 9” x 7” x 5”
- Shade Shape: Barrel
- Materials: Natural Linen
- Variations: Beige with white Prints, Black, White
Best Barrel Lampshade
The first lampshade is from Tootoo Star and is barrel-shaped. This is a spider mode lampshade that should be used with a lamp with a harp or bulb clamp adaptor. If there is no clamp or harp, then this shade won’t be of much use to you.
It’s constructed from natural linen for a soft, gentle appearance and comes in simplistic colors such as black, white, and beige. You’ll get a matted feel from this lamp both on and off for comfortable decorative lighting.
These lamps are all hand crafted by workers with over a decade’s worth of experience, so you’ll receive only the best quality lampshades buying from Tootoo star. Every Tootoo star lampshade comes with a warranty of one year in case there are any defects or flaws in the manufacture.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Who Should Buy This?
This lampshade is as simple as they can get. A barrel shaped lampshade fits easily into any setting no matter what the color scheme or interior decoration is. You’ll have a decorative lampshade which still provides plenty of ambient light for your room.
2. Alucset Drum Fabric Lampshades
SPECS:
- Dimensions: 10” x 12” x 8”
- Shade Shape: Drum
- Material: Natural Linen
- Variations: Black, Brown, Grey, Light Brown, Navy Blue, White, Paper White
Best Drum Lampshade
This lampshade from Alucset is a drum shade, which is much more uniform in shape than others. The circumference all throughout the construction is the same and doesn’t incline anywhere for a conical shape. It comes in a pack of two for paired lamps such as desk or buffet lamps.
It’s a spider mode lampshade, so your lamp must have a harp in order to install this shade. It’s made for table and desk lamps, with some floor lamps being simplistic enough to complement its design. The natural linen fabric has true color which helps add vibrancy to your room. The shade provides ambient lighting that illuminates the areas around it and is practical when needed.
Alucset lampshades are hand-crafted by professionals for the best results with every shade. If you are not satisfied with your shade, Alucset provides a one-year warranty on all its products.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Who Should Buy This?
These two lamp shades are a great solution if you have buffet lamps which typically come in pairs. They can also be used with side table
3. Brentwood Vintage Empire Lamp Shade
SPECS:
- Dimensions: 15” x 11” x 10 ½”
- Shade Shape: Empire
- Materials: Mushroom Pleat Fabric
- Variations: White
Best Empire Lampshade
An empire shade has a different style and shape than barrel and drum. Brentwood’s shade interprets this shape to create a vintage lampshade perfect for practical and decorative use.
This lampshade is also a spider mode shade, so it’s best to ensure you have a lamp with a harp before you purchase this shade. The spider fitting is brass finish for durability and decorative purpose, leaving no part of the shade unpresentable. If you don’t have a harp with your lamp at home, this shade comes with one on purchase. The outer shade is mushroom pleat fabric with a textured appearance and vintage resemblance. The actual color, though stated antique white, is a bright white.
Brentwood’s lamp shade can come in a pack of one or two, depending on whether you need to decorate a single lamp or a pair of them. The shade lets out ambient lighting that helps brighten up the room, not only act as a decoration piece when the light is off.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Who Should Buy This?
The empirical shape of this shade is ideal for creating an antique and classical look. It complements more intricate decoration plans and helps brighten rooms with its bright white color.
4. Aspen Creative Transitional Hardback Drum Lamp Shade
SPECS:
- Dimensions: Smallest – 8” x 8” x 8” Largest – 17” x 17” x 10”
- Shade Shape: Drum
- Materials: Jacquard Fabric
- Variations: Beige Rings, Black, Brown, Butter Crème, Flaxen, Gold, Leopard, Patriotic, Beige Jacquard, Beige Linen, Dark Brown, Light Blue, Off-White Linen, Reddish Purple, White, Beige, Beige Network, Brown Checker, Brown Tween, Better Crème Floral, Dark Red, Geometric, Hunter Green and White Striped, Light Brown, Multicolor Weave, Off-White With Red Stripes, Red Stripes, Stripes, Off-White, Light Grey, Off-White Roses, Off-White Tetoron
Widest Variety of Lampshades
Variety is vital when it comes to lamp shades. There should always be ample options to choose from and Aspen provides just that for its customers. From sizes ranging 8 by 8 to 17 by 17, you can choose from a wide list of patterns, designs, and colors. There is no end to how creative you can get with your home lighting. These lamp shades are good for floor, desk, accent, vintage, and table lamps.
These lampshades are drum shaped, with a more cylindrical style than standard squashed drums. Being longer, they color and transform their lighting into more tinted and decorative patterns. The lamps have a spider construction, so they require a harp to assemble them to the lamp.
The lamp has a virgin styrene backing board inside of it for a stronger construction. This backing board will also not yellow over time and discolor the light that comes from it. It’s durable and long-lasting, retaining its original color and appeal for as long as you use it.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Who Should Buy This?
Getting experimental with your accessories and lighting can only reap good outcomes. You get to discover what works for you and what doesn’t, making your home more welcome and appealing as you go. With a wide variety of colorful options to choose from, you’ll never have to settle for the norm and get as creative as you want!
5. Mkono Macrame Lamp Shade
SPECS:
- Dimensions: 12” x 28” x 14”
- Shade Shape: Hanging Bell
- Materials: Cotton
- Variations: Ivory
Best Hanging Lampshade
This hanging shade screams unique in every way. The design and the material are different from all our other options, and it’ll leave all your guests staring in awe at its grandeur. This hanging shade has an all-cotton structure which makes it soft to the touch, in case taller people brush by it or it falls, no one will get hurt. The cotton rope design captures the bohemian aesthetic to the dot and is fun to look at.
It works inside of any room in the house as it still provides ambient lighting through the weave and the ropes. You’ll be able to sit comfortably underneath this lamp shade without straining your eyes too much.
Any bulb can go underneath this hanging shade for a white or yellow light, based on what works best for your home. A yellow light is recommended to truly capture that mystical, musty, and mysterious appearance to the hanging shade.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Who Should Buy This?
It’s fun to have more extravagant décor every so often. This hanging shade can easily become the centerpiece of your room that catches everyone’s eye. It functions as any other shade would with a pleasant switch of interest being a hanging instead of standing shade.
6. Royal Designs True Bell Lamp Shades
SPECS:
- Dimensions: Smallest – 3.75” x 7” x 6.75” Largest – 9” x 18” x 13.625”
- Shade Shape: Bell
- Materials: Silk-Type Shantung Fabric
- Variations: Beige, Black, Eggshell, White
Best Bell Lampshade
Finally, we have the Royal Designs True Bell Lamp Shades. These come in a mass of sizes and nude colors to ensure that every lamp shade in your home can be uniform and identical. You get the best and most eloquent of décor out of the perfect bell-shaped lamp shades.
These shades can be used on chandeliers, desk lamps, table lamps, floor lamps, and wall mounted lamps. They provide unbeatable elegance no matter where they are placed for the prettiest of affects. Rather than settling for linen, these lamp shades are made of silk-type shantung linen fabric and have off-white styrene lining inside of them for a sturdier construction.
To assemble these shades, a round clip works fine and they can be locked securely in place with any final or cap. You can use these shades anywhere in your home for a vintage, traditional, and royal look that just can’t be beat.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Who Should Buy This?
While the simplistic shapes of the drum, barrel, and empire lamp shades are made more for minimalistic home décor, bell shades let you go all out. They capture elegance, curves, and classiness for the most warming effect when you enter your home.
Conclusion
Small things tend to go overlooked when you’re making your home as welcome as it can be. Well now, it’s time to stop overlooking your accessories and start personalizing them. Lamps, though they are small in effect, can immensely change the atmosphere of your room without you ever realizing.
With the right size, shape, and translucency, you can have a mass effect on the entire room without spending hundreds of dollars experimenting.
To let others know about the potential of a quality lamp shade, be sure to share and comment below on this article.
Photo credit: Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock