Gannett News Service
A cool leather and brushed metal lamp, available at The Lamp Store in Green Hills, Tenn., marries two popular materials with a stylish shape that would work in many different interiors.

Gannett News Service
This selection of handmade shades from Nashville Lights shows the variety of styles, materials and details that dress up lamps.

Illuminate your knowledge of household lamps

ELIZABETH BETTS, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

Originally published Saturday, February 9, 2002

While lamps should be added to a room only after everything else is in place, lamps are all too often the last thought in decorating, and many people only change their lamps when one breaks.

"Some people think they have to redecorate a room, and they really just need to get a lampshade that's not 45 years old," says interior designer Roger Higgins, with R. Higgins Designs in Nashville, Tenn. "They just forget about lamps."

Why do we do this? After all, one must not live by recessed lighting alone.

It might be a function of history. Fabric has been around thousands of years and we've all seen antique furniture, but lamps?

They were born during the age of electricity.

Of course there are very old oil lamps, but the kind of lamps we put in our living rooms just haven't been around that long, says Matt Dennis, owner of Nashville Lights, a specialty lamp and shade shop in Nashville.

"For some reason, people have a hard time committing to a lamp," says Laura Shuster, who owns The Lamp Store in Green Hills, Tenn., along with her husband, Marty.

The couple also run the popular Web site www.lampstore.com.

"To me the lamp is the most important thing," says Laura Shuster.

"The first thing you're going to look at is the lamp because your eye goes to the light."

Quality

Lamps come in a range of prices, and this often is a frustrating point for consumers.

Still, most home furnishings come with various price tags, too. Some fabrics are $10 a yard while others are $100. A sofa might cost $500, or you can choose one for $5,000.

It's the same with lamps, according to those who sell them.

With more expensive models, you might find things like handmade shades, hand-painted porcelain, or finely crafted metal.

There's a difference, too, just like differences between luxury and basic cars, says Laura Shuster.

"It's like the difference between a Honda Civic and a Mercedes. They both get you where you're going," she says. "It's just all the other stuff."

And there can be a lot of "other stuff" with a custom lamp and shade, from hand-painting or gilding on the lamp itself to a hand-made silk shade with special trim.

"What we're finding is all of our high-end manufacturers are copying themselves," says Shuster, whose store carries lamps in a broad range of prices.

The result is lower-priced lines for consumers, just like what clothing manufacturers have done for years.

Custom lamps

Custom furniture and couture clothing often are expensive and time-consuming, but custom lamps are attainable.

Essentially, the sky is yours. If you have something interesting and you don't know what to do with it, consider making it into a lamp.

Almost anything, and lamp pros stress anything, can be made into a lamp. These days you don't even have to drill a hole in the object.

Using what's called a figurine or museum mount, a base can be built and a wire run through a small pipe behind an object, which is then illuminated from above, says Nashville Lights' Dennis.

Musical instruments, vases, boxes and candlesticks can all be made into lamps.

There are many businesses that create custom lamps. Look at someone's previous work, clearly discuss your expectations and the price up front, and consult with the professional about what kind of shade works best with your new, personalized lamp.

Lamps for reading

Several things come into play if you're buying a table lamp or bedside lamp that you can use for reading, says The Lamp Store's Laura Shuster.

Think about the height of your lamp.

Don't tilt your lampshade, or add a higher-watt light bulb, as it could be a fire hazard.

The shade you choose also is a factor.

Dark shades focus light down, so they're good for desks, says designer Roger Higgins. Translucent parchment or fabric shades diffuse light and are good for lighting a whole room.

And don't forget that bigger rooms need bigger lamps.

"If you have to go up on the arm of your sofa to get that circle of light, or if you're tilting shades, you have to make that light circle bigger," says Dennis of Nashville Lights, and that means a bigger lamp.

Rejuvenating a lamp

If you're on the lookout for a new lamp, don't forget about interesting old ones you often can pick up in antique shops or yard sales.

If you buy an old lamp, it's a good idea to have it inspected by someone in the lamp business. Remember that old lamps can be re-wired, too.

The process includes a new socket, wiring and plug and is a smart thing to do if you have a house full of lamps that spent years lighting up someone else's rooms.

Compared to buying a new lamp, re-wiring isn't expensive. Plan to spend under $30 for most table and floor lamps, Dennis says.

He notes that sometimes adding nontraditional lamps to a traditional interior is a way to keep it from becoming too predictable.

"It keeps the idea that it looks like your grandmother's house down," he says.

Another tip?

Consider buying more than one lampshade when you buy a lamp, Higgins says.

"You can buy a basic lamp and get two or three lampshades and have a different look."

About shades

Two words are important in lampshade lingo: hardback and softback.

- Hardback shades, says Laura Shuster, with The Lamp Store in Green Hills, Tenn., refer to those shades with a rigid interior.

- Softback shades are made completely of fabric, either silk or a synthetic. Traditionally, softbacks have been more expensive than hardbacks, because of the labor involved in sewing a liner and an outer covering. "Laborwise that's obviously more intensive and more skilled," says Matt Dennis at Nashville Lights. "Labor is the factor that makes the difference in shades."

- As for cleaning, regular dusting makes the difference. A soft, dry paintbrush can help, too, Dennis says. A gentle vacuum with adjustable suction also can be used if you're careful.

- Inspecting lampshades during weekly cleaning is critical, since heat and light affect fabric, and the lining of your lampshades should be intact and not shredded. If linings are torn, fires can result.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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