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Shade orientation




Which way up does my shade need to be?


When choosing a shade  it can be tricky to get the orientation right. Get it wrong and your light will look very odd. It is important to make sure your shade has the ring fitting in the correct place so that it screws onto your light the right way round, depending if you need to use it for a lamp base or ceiling pendant,  so here is our simple guide to help ensure you choose the right one.


Cylinder and straight sided shades


Lamp fitting cylinder
Pendant fitting cylinder


Lamp base fitting
bulb points up


All our cylinder shades - and straight sided square, oval and rectangle shades - can be used to fit both lamp bases and ceiling pendant lights.
  • You need them with the shade ring at the bottom to fit a lamp base


Ceiling Pendant fitting
bulb points down


You can turn a straight sided shade the other way round, so the shade ring is at the top, to fit a ceiling pendant.

Shades with sloped sides


Lamp base showing fitting position
Pendant shade showing fitting position


Lamp base fitting
bulb points up

Shades with sloping sides such as our Empire, French Drum and sloped oval, square and rectangles are a bit more tricky as they need to have the shade ring fitting in the correct place depending if they are being used with a lamp base or ceiling pendant.

Most of our sloped shades are made to fit a lamp base. The gimble or shade ring sits at the bottom, so the bulk of the shade above it hides the bulb.


Ceiling Pendant fitting
bulb points down

If you require a shade for a light where the bulb points downwards, as it does for most ceiling pendants and some all lights and floor lamps, you will need a shade with a PENDANT fitting. 
In this case, the gimble or shade ring is fitted nearer the top of the shade so the bulk of the shade hangs below it.


PRODUCTS THAT REQUIRE A PENDANT SHADE AS BULB POINTS DOWN



All these products require shades with a PENDANT fitting, so please check the recommended accessories on the product page to make sure you order the right orientation.


ICKWORTH PENDANT LIGHT



There is always an exception to the rule and in this case, it is our Ickworth Pendant Light.

Although its bulbs point upwards, it has been designed with is shade fitting above the lamp holders so it actually requires a PENDANT shade.
Ickworth fitting
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PRODUCTS THAT REQUIRING A LAMP FITTING SHADE AS BULB POINTS UP


Brooke Wall Light with lamp base fitting shade

BROOKE  (if being used with bulb pointing up)
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