Knowing where to buy lampshades isn't as immediately obvious as you might think. They're not a part of your decor you tend to update very often, and so a mental Rolodex of where to source them is unlikely to be top of mind.
Thankfully, I've been writing about home decor for so long — 20 years and counting — that I've picked up a lot of advice on where to find the best ones from the designers I've interviewed along the way. In this list, that is presented in no order other than alphabetical, you'll find high street and high-end options, but each spot is chosen for its quality and artistry.
Refreshing your lampshades is a small job that leaves a big impression, and if you get them right, they can reinvigorate how a room feels. And, if you need something to put them on, too, I've got a guide on where to buy table lamps that you should also read.
1. Alvaro Picardo
I once interviewed the designer Susie Atkinson, who created the artful Lime Wood Hotel among many other things, and it was she who put me onto Alvaro Picardo's graphic work. "We’re about to use one of his pieces in a dining room of a Queen Anne house in London. It’s a fairly traditional space and I know this will bring an element of modernity," Susie said. "Best of all, you can customize any of his shades in any Farrow and Ball color."
Hand painted, these broad stripes evoke the current Playfulism trend for graphic motifs in strong, primary colors.
One of the reasons designers love Alvaro's work is that it has all the flair and fun of the circus, harking back to carefree times in our childhood while still managing to seem grown up and smart. This design is a case in point and would work in a heavily panelled room or a modern white box.
Slightly more traditional, in the heritage British ticking stripe style, this lampshade still shows Alvaro's flair for color, the mustard yellow being just the right tint to modernize this aesthetic.
2. Anthropologie
Anthropologie has long been a go-to for decorative and somewhat cutesy offerings, but in recent years it has focused as much on craftsmanship and artistry as it has on gifting and oddities.
Its lampshades are particularly strong — painterly, handprinted, and pretty. Anthropologie lighting doesn't have core ranges in the way that many lampshade retailers have, so there's a chance that if you don't buy what you find in a timely manner, it might not come back into stock again.
A classic example of Anthropologie's painterly and whimsical offering, I bought the Louise lampshade for my powder room with had sandy oatmeal walls and a red skirting board. This shade has matching hues in its design, and in fact has so many colors it will work in most spaces that have a pink/red/brown/violet way to link to it somehow.
Block printed by hand, this upscale artistry is typical of the Anthroplogie offering, and a reason why it's so popular. Its patterns play into the trend for traditional crafts updated for the modern eye.
Made by wrapping yarn around the lampshade's frame, the texture of this product is unexpected and intriguing, adding an extra layer to your decor. The fact it's in earthy tones of bright colors helps, too, of course.
3. House of Hackney
When House of Hackney first launched in 2011, I was the first member of the press to cross into their living room, which also doubled as a showroom. I was met with a pattern-on-pattern approach to maximalism that hadn't been seen in contemporary style before, and the brand has honed this take while still staying true to its values. So try House of Hackney for heritage and decorative prints before anywhere else.
In addition to classic and retro shapes, House of Hackney's signature shades feature super-long, draped fringe, while utilizing the brand's statement textiles.
A classic House of Hackney piece here, marrying modern florals with heavy period fringing. Accessorize with a matching blind in the same fabric for a complete look.
Only House of Hackney could take the classic 1970s ridged lampshade shape and update it with a mirrored upturn, now making it reminiscent of a snowdrop. So pretty, and such a talking point when placed on a floor or table lamp.
As with most House of Hackney designs, you can match them to a wallpaper, a cushion, or upholstery fabric if you wish. I've had my eye on the matching mural to this shade for my dining room, but failing that, I'm enjoying the hint of almost cartoon-like joy this forested motif has when used just on a shade.
4. Matilda Goad
British designer Matilda Goad quickly turned a passion for decorative lampshades into somewhat of a lifestyle brand, via a pop-up at Liberty, dressing the Christmas tree outside the BBC, and an understanding of the art of embellishment. But it's worth remembering she started with shades, as her pieces are still standouts, adding just the right hint of extra detail.
If you love the look of on-trend scalloped edged decor, Matilda Goad is a good place to start looking for lampshades, and its brass pleated lampshade is a modern design wonder too good to miss.
This was seen as revolutionary when it launched in 2018, and kept selling out. It's still an impressive piece of design, taking the delicate nature of a fabric pleat and subverting it in brass. As fitting for current interior design trends as the day it first went on sale.
This is the design that made Matilda famous, that launched the scallop shape we all know and love today. This is the original decorative piece that still looks just as good nearly 10 years after it launched.
Fashioned from card-backed cloth, this deceptively simple design creates a very warm glow. Perfect for a neutral space where you want just the tiniest decorative flourish.
5. Molly Mahon
You can go in any direction at Molly Mahon, as long as it's printed and patterned. There are elegant empire shades, ruffled fabric skirt shades, and a pleat that lands somewhere in the middle, but they're all made with Molly's signature understanding of pairing vibrant colors in ways that still manages to feel cosy.
To walk into a living room and see one her designs is to feel at home.
A signature Molly print, this graphic dot design manages to look grown up in a kid's bedroom or welcoming in a hallway. Surprisingly versatile, like so many of her designs.
A softening around the edges with some fabric pleats helps the ebullient mustard pattern seem joyful rather than commanding. It also comes in two other colors.
Or you could embrace the irregularity and rustic nature of Molly's work with this skirted shade that may have the feel of a farmhouse kitchen but actually works to bring blousiness to even the most urban homes.
6. Pooky
Pioneering the almost-neon striped and pleated lampshades trend, Pooky is where you'll find the largest selection of spirited and colorful designs. Collaborations with designer like Matthew Williamson underscore the brand's credentials well — turn to British lighting brand Pooky for boldness with a pretty (and often pleated or scalloped) edge.
Created in collaboration with the fabric brand GP&J Baker, this is a prime Pooky. Its orange trim picks out the most daring element of the pattern and updates what could perhaps have been a more classic print.
I have four of these in my home — two on the landing, two in each bedroom. I love their pop of color against otherwise neutral walls, and how the pattern is actually quite bold but made less so by the way the fabric pleats and hides it. A dash of brightness for those, like me, who tend to be pattern-averse.
And this is the shade I have in our guest bedroom, and have used it here to show that not all Pooky shades are emblazoned with pattern. There is also this sort of soft prettiness and whimsy.
7. Rosi de Ruig
British lampshade designer Rosi de Ruig has the skill to make even the strongest color palette seem soft. From marbling vivid greens and pinks to pairing pillar box red with fuchsia, thanks to the whirls and whorls of her patterns they take on a dreamlike quality. Not for the ardent minimalist, but they do seem to take on a life of their own when placed in rooms with dark walls.
Fashioned from handmade marble paper, there can be some variation in each of these shade's designs. But that's what makes them so characterful.
Price: £102
Because of the variations in color seen in this design the checkerboard pattern looks hand drawn, and is all the more full of personality for it.
Deckchair stripes continue as a big design trend, mostly because they're a shorthand for evoking the sort of joy you feel on holiday. And doesn't this shade do just that?
8. Timorous Beasties
Back in the early noughties Timorous Beasties were seen as the iconoclasts of the design scene. The Scottish duo launched London Toile, the first wallpaper launch I ever went to nearly 20 years ago, which took classic Delft scenes and put an urban twist on them (look closely and someone was being robbed).
Since then, the designers have kept a lot of that dynamism and become a go-to for prints both strong and soothing — it's here you'll find lampshades to add a dash of color or calm a space down.
In terms of the brand's lampshade offering, they're simpler drum lampshade styles, but they better show off these artistic textile prints.
There has always been a slight punk edge to the work of Timorous Beasties, and this lampshade borrows from the excitement and energy of street art.
Not every Timorous Beasties design needs to be the headline-grabber in the room, and the brand is just as at home creating softer, more gentle pieces such as this which is modelled on paint crackling but also has the quiet beauty of the bark on a tree.
For every peaceful tree-like design, you'll also find a hypercolor tie-dye effect, as exuberant as Timorous Beasties has long been expected to be.
These are some of the best-known brands that are most utilized by interior designers, but there's a whole world out there of lampshade makers. Making lampshades is a craft skill, and can be done on all kinds of levels, from individual craftspeople to big businesses.
What you'll discover, however, is spending time seeking out lampshades can transform standard lamps and light fixtures into something spectacular.
