Are you tired of the old chandelier hanging over your kitchen table but don’t want to take the time and pay the price of a new one? How about sprucing your existing fixture up by adding new chandelier shades? They come in shapes and colors to fit into any décor. You will be surprised at how much difference new shades can make, and you may just find yourself loving that old fixture all over again.
The different shapes that shades come in are drum, coolie, shallow drum, empire, square, rectangle, bell, hexagon, and oval. A basic description of each shape follows:
- A drum shade is a basic plain cylinder, although some of them do have patterns on them.
- A coolie shade, then, is also a basic shade that starts with a small opening at the top and flares in a straight line to become a wider hole at the bottom.
- A shallow drum shade is a lot like the regular drum shade, but it is much shorter.
- Empire shades are also flaring shades which come with more patterns and pleats.
- Square shades aren’t exactly square, but they do have a boxier look than the other shades. These can look quite formal.
- A rectangular shade gives an interesting look. Although somewhat like square shades, they are longer and flatter.
- Bell shades are very elegant looking. They start with a small hole at the top, and then curve down gracefully to a much larger hole at the bottom.
- Like the name says, a hexagon shade is a flared shade with six sides.
- The oval shades are basically flatter cylinders. They come with scalloped edges and piping and give a neat, trim appearance to your light fixture.
Chandelier Shades Come in Many Materials
Not only do chandelier shades come in a variety of shapes, but they also are made of many different materials. They can be as basic as parchment and cotton shades to as exotic as shantung silk. Some shades you’ll find will be made of hand-wrapped silk string. This technique gives the shades a very unique and interesting look. Linen shades are just the thing to accent a chandelier in a man’s den or rec room. You can also find shades in faux leather, raw silk, jacquard, and mica.
Replacement shades are available in almost any color you would want. Many have patterns on them, such as toile or gingham, and you can even find some that are decorated with lace, crochet-work, and feathers. They are made with clips that just snap over the light bulb. Different shades will come with instructions for cleaning the material they are made from. They are often sold in packages of six shades so that you don’t have to buy 6 separate ones.
Another idea for refurbishing your chandelier would be for you to design your own shades. If what you have right now are plain white or even beige, you could cover right over the existing shades with fabrics, appliqués, or decoupage to create an entirely new look. In a child’s room you might let the child draw on white shades with markers to make one-of-a-kind shades with that personal touch.
There are many websites online where you can shop for chandelier shades, and they all offer different types of shades. By looking at a number of the websites, you’ll be sure to find just the right shades to perk that old chandelier right up again.
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