It’s the little details that make a house a home: a well-chosen area rug in the living room, statement scatter cushions topping the bedspread and a punny little mat outside your front door.
The other thing you learn, once moved out of uni halls and into a place on your own, is that lighting can make all the difference from living in a square box to a soothing nest with bags of ambiance. It’s always a good idea to have more than one light source in the room - think table and floor lamps as well as candles and fairy lights - but you can also take the pain out of the dreaded Big Light by dressing it up into something altogether more pleasing.
Lightbulbs rarely look good naked and with the wealth of stunning lamp shades to choose from, why wouldn’t you put in a little extra effort to make your decor sing?
Aside from shielding you from the full strength of your wattage, a great lamp shade can anchor a room and add to your aesthetic, tying up the look of your interiors easily.
Many clip on to your existing ceiling light fixture, so there’s no need to call on an electrician for their services either. The easy-fit shades are, in fact, more of a breeze to attach than changing a light bulb.
There are thousands of styles around, from maximalist patterns to Japandi-esque sculptural looks. We’ve pulled together an edit of our favourites to buy now.
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Rockett St George Cream & Black Lantern Ceiling Light Shade With Tassels
You can’t paint, and you’re not sure how to hang wallpaper. How to bring a room to life without spending a fortune? Head to Rockett St George where you can find this showstopping ceiling light shade with black trims and black tassels for extra effect. A minimal chandelier of sorts, consider the limelight well and truly stolen.
Buy now £78.00, Rockett St George
Dunelm Malika Cane 2 Tier Easy Fit Pendant
Rattan and cane are no longer a summer-only interiors trend. The simple look has year round appeal, and can be found on lampshades too. This two-tier pendant shade uses raffia and cane to create a striking look that will work nicely in boho-style interiors. It can also be used on lamps if you have a base you love already.
Buy now £52.00, Dunelm
LovingSTRING Sweet Dreamer Large Drum Lampshade
Lovingly handwoven around a drum frame with coloured string, this light shade offers a simple yet chic way to inject colour into your space. It can be used as a pendant light, hanging from the ceiling, or to upcycle an old table lamp and give your desk or bedside table the setting it deserves.
Buy now £140.00, Liberty of London
Temperley London x Anthropologie Printed Lampshade
Express your wild side with this leopard print ceiling lampshade from the Temperley x Anthropology collab. Delivering delightful doses of kitsch, it’s a look for maximalists who need their rooms to be a riot of pattern and colour. It comes in small and large sizes, each giving total British bohemianism.
Buy now £68.00, Anthropologie
Dunelm Origami Hexagon Paper Easy Fit Pendant
Invented in Japan around a thousand years ago, origami is undoubtedly an ancient art that still manages to look contemporary - especially in interiors and furnishings. Dunelm has used the craft on its easy-fit pendant lamp shade to stunning effect, shaping paper into a concertina hexagon. It makes for a detail that will provoke conversation in the dining room or hallway.
Buy now £12.00, Dunelm
Oliver Bonas Walter Printed Green Velvet Pendant Lamp Shade
A refreshing flash of racing green adds interest to the ceiling, an otherwise dead space in any room. Add this drum lampshade to light fixtures with ceiling roses for a nice juxtaposition between vintage and contemporary style or just use it to add a splash of colour to rented homes. The gimble (the bracket that attaches around the bulb’s base) is reversible, so this design can also be used on a floor or desk lamp as well.
Buy now £65.00, Oliver Bonas
Pooky 18cm pendant shade
Pooky offers plenty of stunning lightbulb moments to add character to your interiors. This pendant shade is made from paper that’s been marbled with coloured oils and water. The result? A chic and psychedelic design with stylishly retro leanings. It comes with a fitting so this is one that will need to be installed by a professional. For the looks alone, we say it’s worth it.
Buy now £68.00, Pooky
Dunelm Elements Lunebar 25cm Easy Fit Pendant Shade
Simple in design yet stunning in effect, Dunelm’s easy-fit pendant is an excellent addition to contemporary homes. The design will cast a soft glow around the room thanks to the fact that the inner has been painted too. As well as gold, it comes in grey, black and beige colours too. An easy update to make to any room for a bargain price.
Buy now £15.00, Dunelm
M&S Velvet Oversized Ceiling Lamp Shade
A simple drum shape is given a luxe makeover with a velvet exterior, adding a drop of opulence to your ceiling light. There are 15 colours to choose from, making it wonderfully simple to match or contrast with your interior design scheme as you see fit.
Buy now £30.00, M&S
Oliver Bonas Espiral Natural Rattan Pendant Lamp Shade Medium
Looking like driftwood, this natural rattan lamp shade from Oliver Bonas brings beachy vibes home. The curved wood turns your humble lightbulb into an art installation with light peeking through the neutral palette. Suitable for any room but the bathroom or any spaces with similarly damp conditions.
Buy now £59.50, Oliver Bonas
Mistana Alor 40Cm H Bamboo/Rattan Novelty Pendant Shade ( Spider ) in Beige/Black
Mixing boho chic with industrial stylings, this pendant light shade is simple to fit over your existing light socket. It’s available in small as well as large, giving you options according to your room’s dimensions.
Buy now £39.99, Wayfair
Anna Hayman Designs Jada Lamp Shade
Revive the spirit of the original roaring twenties for the 21st century with this opulent light shade by Anna Hayman. With an Art Deco print across the shade’s main panels finished with contrast black and white tassels, it promises to be a detail no one is likely to overlook.
Buy now £350.00, Rockett St George
John Lewis Triple Layered Rattan Easy-to-Fit Ceiling Shade, Cream/Natural
Keep your room feeling light and airy with this ceiling shade from John Lewis. With a main cream-coloured drum holding two smaller tiers in cane and rattan, it creates a focal piece without feeling overbearing.
Buy now £85.00, John Lewis
Coco & Wolf x BeauVamp Betsy Lavender Tiffany Shortie Lampshade
If Billy Porter went to a classic English garden party, but make it a lampshade. We can’t get over the kitsch floral fantasy that is this pendant shade (but can also be used on table and floor lamps), made with Liberty’s own iconinc Betsy print on Tana Lawn cotton. The peach fringing and trimming is just the icing on this whimsical cake.
Buy now £425.00, Liberty London
