Choosing Shades and Diffusers: A Purchasing Guide

Shade selection is usually made from a photograph at the sample stage and revisited repeatedly for the rest of the programme. Buying it with a specification instead of a picture removes most of that churn.

Material, and what it commits you to

Each material carries its own cost, damage profile and cleaning routine:

Size relationship to the base

As a rule of thumb, the shade diameter should be roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of the lamp's widest visible base dimension. Below that the lamp looks top-heavy; above it, the lamp looks like a shade on a stand.

Seam, binding and frame

Inspect the seam and the binding on the production unit rather than the sample. A glued seam that is invisible on a hand-made sample becomes a visible line at volume, and a shade ring that is not perfectly circular will not sit level.

Diffusers and glare

A diffuser at the bottom of a shade turns a visible bulb into a soft pool of light. For hospitality and for any lamp used above eye level in a hotel room, it should be specified as standard rather than as an upgrade.

Specify packaging with the shade

Shades damage in transit more than any other component. The shade specification should include how it is protected, whether it nests inside the base, and whether it is packed as a separate carton within the master. Retailers who leave this to the factory pay for it in claims.