It’s knowing when design, any design, is good design

I am often found to harp on about lampshades, the size, colour or their texture and whether they enhance or otherwise either the lamp base, the unit it is on or the dressing of the room itself?

I have seen some bewildering design statements with either colour or proportion of shade. I’ve also seen some brilliant ones. It’s knowing when design, any design, is good design. When it comes to fashionable flocks or prints, that word longevity just disappears out the window. Fashion shades are for fashionable people who don’t worry about next year, they just buy another one. Thank heavens for Ikea, and there’s no knocking it. It is just that the Scandinavians are brilliant designers and it’s the simpler, classical stuff that will stand the test of time.

I remember being shown an outrageous interior by a proud husband of a neighbour’s. He was so full of his wife’s talents he was brimming over with enthusiasm for her, and then there was me! “yes another interior designer! Oh well! Moments later, whilst she and I were alone, the talented wife announces what she had just spent £xx,000 on her “makeover”, followed by “ I am just so bored of it!” There were shades in a multitude of colour, shape and form and most adorned with jewels. Yes a short lived statement, but in a home? Not to mention the waste of hard earned cash!

I do swear by pale shades in general (I don’t mean to sound boring!) as I am usually asking something even more sculptural in the room to do the impact work. Ivories, off whites, ecrus, and soft greys over dark are great if you are looking to lighten a room as they obviously give you light! Dark shades funnel the light in an upwards or downwards direction and sometimes you have to be aware of what the interior of the shade is made of? If it is fabric, a light fabric you will get more from the bulb. If it is card or plastic it acts more as a block and therefore sometimes makes the shade completely non transparent.

I love drum shades over the conventional coolies at the moment. I also usually look for a soft colour that coordinates with the scheme. If I am looking for accent, then I have gone into silks and linens in darker tones. Especially when the backdrop is dark, like some of those oxblood reds, navy blues, anthracites or nearly brown aubergines. Just scrummy and rich in depth.

Shades are an excellent way to bring character to your scheme. There is a particular selection of grass cloths, herringbones, bamboos and wooden shades that do act as architecture to your interior. Not just by their tactile qualities, but through the light emitting from them, sometimes squeezing through the wide fibres or slits in the wood. Light shades can become an alternative artist’s tool after paint on canvas.