Drum Lamp Shades in All Sizes
Drum lamp shades are the shades which have the plainest of shapes : a simple cylinder shape which is usually equal in diameter at the top and the bottom of the shade. They are very fashionable these days and as a result they are found everywhere. It is is very easy to buy them in all kinds of colors and patterns to suit every interior.
But although you may get the color right to suit your room color scheme and a pattern that matches your interior style it is very easy to get the wrong size lamp shade if you are not careful. Don’t just buy the size that you think will do without having carefully measured your lamp first.
It is important that these shades are in proportion to the base of your table lamp otherwise they can look silly. It is like a tiny hat being found on the head of a large woman with “big hair” or a huge cartwheel hat on top of a 4 foot six inches tall petite lady.
So how can you get this right?
Designers simply have an eye for this type of thing and know when things are in proportion but you probably need more guidance than that. With a standard base you should look at lamp shades being around a third of the height of the whole lamp making sure that they hide any fittings. If you have a lamp with a very narrow candlestick type base however the shade should be a lot smaller to be in proportion with the slim base.
One way to be sure is to buy lamp and base together as the designer or the store will have put together items which work well or, if you have to buy a replacement shade for an existing base, take your base with you so that you can try out a number of drum lamp shades for size. After you have looked at a few shades and tried them with your lamp no doubt you will be developing a designer’s eye for the size that works and the size that does not too.
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