How to Pick the Right Sized Lampshade

This week I finally found the perfect space for a special lamp my grandmother made during her ceramics phase in the 1970s. It is now gracing the corner of my crafting desk. It is a beautiful ginger jar lamp with a zinnia pattern.

When it was retrieved from the attic I realized its shade was ill-fitting and just not right for it. The white color didn’t bring out any charm from the beautiful glaze my grandmother had used to paint it. The lamp is an earthy off white with golden flecks. The existing shade was also too short making the lamp look as if it were ready for a flood–the lampshade equivalent of high-water pants. It was also rather square, but a ginger jar is a more rounded voluptuous style. Everything was gangly and awkward, perhaps the reason it was in the attic.

There are ways to size a lampshade properly, but I made it to the store without my cell phone and thus couldn’t look them up. I think I did pretty well for guessing. I chose a shade with a gold tone to bring out the color, with a rounded shape to enhance the curves and longer to hide more of the business end of the lamp. I love the golden glow it is giving off as I type this post. Even more, I love that something my grandmother created with her own hands is on the desk where I create with my own hands.

If you have a lamp that needs new clothing check out this helpful page at Lamps Plus.  Happily, it confirms that my instincts were correct. You can find another helpful page at Shades of Light. 

Do you have something special from an ancestor that you use regularly?