There was a point in time when a brightly hued or elaborately patterned cushion was the favoured choice to inject some easy pizzazz into a design scheme. But those days are no more. When it comes to adding some instant decorative flair, lampshades have stepped into the limelight. Not that they are anything new, of course. Initially more functional pieces used to diffuse the streetlights in 17th-century Paris, lampshades evolved into more ornate designs under the reign of Queen Victoria when the addition of fine lace, swishing fringing and delicate beading became de rigueur in elegant homes.
Today, the power of a good lampshade cannot be underestimated. Through a well-selected medley of colour and pattern, they can lift a room and, when the shorter days draw in, the soft ambience the can create heralds the end of a working day, gently ushering us into a more relaxed mood. Let Busola Evans ease you into the evening with her ten favourite patterned lampshades – from paper to pleated to hand-painted – collected from the catalogues of Interiors Index members.
1. Red Dot Gathered French Drum, £185, Cameron & Miles
Made in 70s-inspired red-and-brown-printed cotton, this gathered shade is available in sizes small, medium and large
2. Sunflower Blue Daydress Ruffle, £395, BeauVamp
This limited edition lampshade is in hand-blocked cotton print
3. Tales of Tyrol, from £260, Mind The Gap
Tyrolean village folk, traditional architecture and fantastical foliage feature on this drumshade
4. Cardinal lampshade, £260, Melodi Horne
The traditional hand-dyed Ikat fabric is a blend of pure silk and cotton
5. Mustard Little Lattice, £98, Ottoline De Vries
This uniquely patterned lampshade has matt golden internal lining
6. Orange-and-cream vintage silk sari lampshade, from £225, Samarkand Design
Handmade from vintage silk sari, the eye-catching print is also accompanied by an orange trim
7. Lampshade in green Rabanna, from £110, Fermoie
Balloon-lined in cream cotton, the fabric is designed and made in-house and available in several colourways
8. Limited edition Warwick shade by Natasha Mann, Vaughan
The lampshade is hand-painted using natural pigments and egg tempera
9. Damson pink Couronne linen lampshade, £154, Inchyra
Handmade in the UK, this pleated pure linen lampshade is fully lined in off-white cotton mix
10. Retro drum shade with scalloped edge, from £125, Yateley Papers
The range of paper designs are hand-finished with a tape trim in either a natural or complimentary colourway
