How to size lampshades for Floor Lamps
Before the ‘rules’ it’s important to bear in mind there is no such thing as the wrong shade. If you love it – it’s the right shade. Experimenting with lamp shades in new fabrics, shapes and colours is great way to instantly update your home’s style.
Floor or standard lamps are more difficult to size as they tend to be tall and narrow and it is important to make sure the shade sits at the correct height.Generally, they require a much larger shade than table lamps, starting from around 40cm to 60cm in diameter.
If your lamp is a normal sized standard lamp, you will need a shade somewhere between 40 and 50 cm wide. If your standard lamp is a bit smaller (as in our Nayland Adjustable Reading Lamp) anything between 30 and 40 cm may fit better. Note how the clean lines of these cylinder shades accentuate the sleek modern design of our range of Adler Standard Lamps
(pictured right).
To determine the right size, measure the height of the lamp base from the floor to the bottom of the bulb holder, then divide by four to get the approximate height for the shade.
Trust your eye. The perfect shade should hide the fittings underneath without encroaching on the lamp base. We say that the bottom of the shade should just cover the lamp holder when looking at it at eye level.