Yesterday someone asked me if I was gonna write about lamps this week like I promised. I replied with a sarcastic "do you even read my blog?--I wrote about lamps on Tuesday". She told me that I wrote about sofa tables Tuesday. And I realized that what started out as a lamp post turned into an ode to a sofa table. Apparently, I cannot even keep a strait thought for 3 paragraphs.
This is one of my favorite lamps. Its classic urn style base in a matte white looks great in every room and that shade. That black, ribbed, corrugated, gold foil lined shade. It's heavenly. It casts the warmest light. If I am cold, I just turn the light on and some kind of physiological thing happens and I start feeling warmer. Warm light makes me happy.
Every home could benefit from one black lamp shade. Just make sure that the shade you purchase is lined in gold fabric or foil. Once, I got a great deal at a yard sale on a black lampshade. It wasn't lined. When I got home and put the shade on a base and turned the light on....PURPLE.
The same goes for a colored shade. If you are in the mood for some color make sure you test out the shade with a light bulb before you commit. That red shade that looks so great in the store could very likely turn pink the moment you put it on the lamp base.
I bought that lamp in the top two photos 5 years ago at Target. I think the base was $29 and the shade $15. It was easy to pick out the right size shade for the lamp because at the time Target had the lamps and bases color coded like Garanimals. It's so much easier to buy a base and shade together--if you are shade shopping don't be ashamed to carry your lamp base into the store and try different shades on it to see what you like the best.
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Mr. Linky Party! Remember the Feathers and Egg Prints that we all got from L. Herbert Designs? I've gotten so many requests from people who want to share where they hung theirs that I thought it would be fun to do a Feather and Egg link up party thing. I'd love for you to be a part and it's not too late to order if you still want a set of prints. Doesn't matter if you have the first set, second set or both--even if you haven't hung them yet, maybe you want to do a post asking where we think you should put them. See you Wednesday April 22nd!
Have a great weekend! My sister is in town and we get to hang out and giggle and act like weirdos. Then we top it all off by shopping at our parent's neighborhood yard sale. We have the makings for a perfect weekend!
32 comments:
My mom has a beautiful black shade lined in gold. You're right about the "glow" those shades cast. It's very soothing and does make the room feel warmer. I've always loved it. I have a red shade with gold embroidered paisleys from Lowes that's lined in gold. It has the same effect in my house. I acutally didn't realize how many colored shades I have in my house until I read this! Have fun this weekend :)
-Hayley
I have to look for some nice colored shades. Am kind of tired of some of my tan/neutral shades. Sounds like the perfect weekend! I am planning on hitting some yard sales too, fun!
Beth
What about our Mr. Linky lamp party??? :-) I'm such a colorful person, but my lamp shades are mostly neutrals. I like them, though.
Mr. Linky Lamp Party will be in a few more weeks--I have lots more lamp talk to do first!
Thanks for asking MM!
Nester you have inspired me with all your "lamp talk". I got me a bird lamp in honor of YOU and I even placed it inside of my built ins surrounding my fireplace. I LOVE it!! Please check it out if you have a chance as I posted some great pics today. I only had 3 lamps when you started talking lamps. Now I have four!
Hey, one lamp at a time.
I am going to try to find some lamps at yard sales this weekend! Would you sometime do a post about what in the heck to do with that space over your kitchen cabinets?? Also, I need some mantle inspiration! Thanks for all your tips...your blog is addictive. :)
Very informative and fun post : )
I so needed this post. Thanks for the tips.
Hey, great post on lamps and black shades. Every room should have some black. Since I, too, live in Charlotte could you let me know where the neighborhood garage sale is? (oops, a really bad sentence!) Thanks, Connie
Don't feel bad. I can barely keep it together for a sentance on occasion!!
Have a wonderful weekend with your sister! How fun! Do you have a "Real Deals" in your town? It is a fantastic home decor store at warehouse prices,and I stopped by ours yesterday. There were fantastic fringe lamp shades, beaded shades, and all kinds of fantastic lamps for only $22! That's the beauty of this chain store, great quality for a very low price! The assymetrical shades I was telling you about are at another store for $112 each! Ouch, but they are fantastic...I'm just weighing all my options before the lamp linky! hee hee Happy Weekend! :-)
Great tip about the lining! I wouldn't have thought to look for that. My mom has a dark red shade in her living room, when you turn it on, it turns the living room a weird color. It's like being in the waiting room for h*ll. Not any place I want to be! Now I know that all dark shades aren't evil, only the ones that aren't lined. I'm guessing with a little spray adhesive one could rectify the weird room color, it might be worth a try with a yard sale find.
I have 3 lamps with black shades, plus my dining room chandie shades as well! LOVE!!! It definitely sets a "mood"! Hope that you have a wonderful weekend with the fam! :)
Enjoy your time with your sister! That's super special!
I have on black lamp shade and I love it. It adds that something that was needed.
I don't have one of those prints though. :( But I will tune it to see the linky party!
I love colored lamp shades. I have really cool green ones in my bedroom and they have the prettiest light coming from them.
I just bought a Pottery Barn chandelier at a garage sale last weekend (pic on my blog!) for $21(!!) and it currently has beige shades. Not sure if I want to keep them or change them out. My current chandelier has black shades, and I love them so.
You are bad for my budget!! Ha, ha.
I want to buy more lamps!!
Nester- love your lamp posts so far! But I need some help! I have a chandelier with black lamp shades over the lights- I love love love it UNTIL you turn the light on and then they're kind of gray/weird looking... they're not lined but there's 8 of them (I got them on ebay) and I can't afford to just go get new ones- is there a way I can line them myself???
Keep up the great work!
~Bethany in TX
@ Bethany--I wonder if you could spray the inside with gold paint?
I did the same thing once and bought 5 black chandy shades and whoops they looked really crazy too!
I sold em and got me some new ones 50% off from hobby lobby.
Good luck!
I'm laughing about the whole intro thing. So funny.
Have a great time with your sis!
Great tip on the lining of colored shades! I find that the hardest part of lamps for me is figuring out what size shade should go with a lamp base. I can pick out stylish bases and find shades with character that I love, but it is so tricky trying to figure out the scale of a shade to a lamp. It took me weeks of trying different shades in my bedroom before choosing one, and I'm still not sure it's the right size.
That black lampshade is fabulous! I really like the shape & texture.
I have two black lampshades that I LOVED....and then I painted the inside of them with copper paint. Talk about wonderful glow..I think It's better than the gold even.
Try it!
And I've even spray painted some of my white lamp shades with black spray paint. Works great!
That lamp is beautiful and the shade is one of a kind. I'm constantly switching shades and experimenting. FUN!
I like urn style bases on lamps as well. Looks really nice with the dark shade on it too and casts a gorgeous glow in your photo.
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Okay..my favorite part of this post is you and your sister giggling...how sweet and fun..I don't even know you but I can imagine it quite clearly!
Have a giggly time!
sandy toe
Oh! I just read in your comments of the Mr.Linky Lamp Party! Yea!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I am so inspired by your blog. You have inspired me to get going on the "fixing up" of my house. Just because we are military and I have 4 little ones....there is no reason for my house not to be pretty! I posted a few items that are project items, and that is motivating me to get the projects done so I can reveal their completed-ness :)
Just wanted to say thanks!
Where oh where are you finding the black shades with gold lining? I know you mentioned Target, but I can't find any anywhere!!! I've looked at all over including Lowe's and Hobby Lobby today. Lowe's only has white/cream lining on the black shades (they do have some pretty red ones with gold lining), and Hobby Lobby are all lined in black. Do you know if the black lining on a black shade looks okay when the light is turned on, or is it still purpleish? Thanks so much! =) ~Jennifer
You do have some cool lamps. Thanks for the good tips.
I saw that lamp with the red shade at Target the other night. And a pink and white toile shower curtain. I bought neither. Just a belly band (that better work!) and an over the door hook hanger thing. Because I'm so classy that way. At least it was black and looked like wrought iron and I dodn't buy the tacky white plastic one. Yeah, that was a much ado about nothing there.
Good grief...forget the lamps...your sis is there...with you...and you're going to a neighborhood yard sale together? Without me? That is all I care about. hee hee :)
She better be ready to tell me Sun pm what you all scored. Can't wait.
I am really loving your posts on lamps. I need all the help I can get.
So if one doesn't want to cart their lamp base into the store, how would she know what size shade to get?
And could I hot glue some fabric to a pleated lamp shade? I just don't like it anymore but I'm afraid. I suppose that's why my house looks the way it does.
Have a wonderful weekend!
We're in need of one or two floor lamps for our large gathering room. I've been looking at Target and Pottery Barn.
The problem is that none of us can like the same lamps.
I hope this doesn't turn out like the sofa hunt...15 years to find a sofa that we all loved!
You have a great weekend.
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