About replacing your lamp shades and how to choose

At a fraction of the cost you can change the entire look of any room just by changing the style and color of a lamp shade. Replacement lamp shades make it possible to redecorate without buying another lamp.

The right colored shade can provide an instant new look to freshen up old furnishings or match a new paint décor. Coordinating a new shade to an existing base is fairly easy. All you need to do is keep in mind are a couple of simple guidelines.

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Try looking for a shade that echoes some shape or curve of the lamp base. For example, an urn-shaped lamp can be matched with a flared shade that repeats the basic outline of the lamp base. Similarly, a square, mission-styled base would work well with a rectangular or square-shaped shade.

The height of the shade should be roughly 3/4 the height of the base, and the shade's width should extend past the widest part of the lamp base. Make sure that any new shade extends down far enough to cover all the electrical fittings and the base of the socket. Go here for information on how to measure for replacing your lamp shade.

There are basically three types of styles

Spider With Harp; This is the most common type of fitting for table and floor lamp shades. The correct size harp is included FREE with this shade.

Uno: Usually found on a small table lamp. No harp is needed as the wire fitting is permanently attached to the shade. The shade attaches directly to the lamp socket.

Clip-On; Found on smaller accent lamps and chandeliers. The shade clips directly onto the light bulb with no additional hardware.
You only need four measurements when you're shopping for a replacement lamp shade. Measure the top diameter, bottom diameter, vertical slant and vertical height.

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