How to Choose a Lampshade

Find a specialty store. Shopping for lampshades in a store like Target or Bed Bath & Beyond severely limits your options. Instead, seek out a shop that specializes in lamps and shades where you'll have more choices and an expert on-hand to give you advice.

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Bring your lamp to the store. Shopping for shades is like looking for a new outfit — you want to try it on to see how it fits. Bringing the old shade isn't a good substitute for the lamp itself.

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Pair like with like. "Repeat the shape in the lamp body in the shade shape," suggests Harrison, president of Shades of Light. "Square lamps look best with square shades and round lamps look best with round shades, likewise a shapely lamp can take a shapely shade."

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Use the current harp as your guide. When determining shade height, you can use the lamp's existing harp as a guide (the harp is the wire frame that holds the shade onto the lamp base). The shade should be at least as high as the harp. However, you can also change the harp size to accommodate a larger (or smaller) shade to suit your tastes.

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Make sure the harp fits. If you change the shade, there's a good chance you'll have to change the harp, especially with flared shades. "The more flared the shade, the shorter the harp you need," notes Harrison.

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Fine-tune the height. If your current harp is a close fit, but not exact, add an extender, which is called a shade riser. The extender will raise the height that the shade sits on.

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Don't let the hardware show! "Absolutely no hardware, except for the finial should show," cautions Spitzmiller. Make sure you don't end up with a shade that's too short. The saddle and socket are meant to be hidden!

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Tapered drums are fresh. "Regarding style, I'm happier to see boxier shades being used more," says lamp designer Christopher Spitzmiller of the trend towards tapered drum shade. "They look really modern now, and they're a really great timeless shape."

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Have fun with simple bases. "The more basic the shape of the body of the lamp, the more varied styles of shades it can take," says Harrison.

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Keep things in proportion. According to Harrison, the height of a shade should be approximately 2/3 to 4/5 the height of the lamp's base, and the diameter shouldn't exceed the height of the base and should be within two inches of this dimension.

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Go with your gut. When it comes to the exact size and style, it's your own taste that count. For example, although you might prefer a bell-shaped shade, your sister might like a wider straight-sided drum shade, and neither style is "right" or "wrong." "It's a matter of personal preference; there's no real answer," says Spitzmiller, "Trust your instincts on proportion or size."

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