How to design your own lampshade in Muscat

Lifestyle Sunday 18/December/2016 12:08 PM
By: Times News Service
How to design your own lampshade in Muscat

There’s no better way to introduce warmth to a space than with a table lamp. And be sure that there is a lampshade for every style, ready to lend elegance, funky flare, or modern simplicity to your interior design. Table lamps come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours, and materials and can be found at home furnishing stores throughout Muscat. But if you fancy changing an old shade or just creating something with your own signature style, there may be no easier DIY project than making or updating your own lampshade. Here's how. [email protected]

Design Your Own Drum Shade:
You'll Need: Cotton fabric (in desired print and colour), a simple lamp base; an old lampshade ring; adhesive styrene, glue, bonding clips, and a stick. *Materials can be found at art supplies stores.

STEP 1: Chose desired lampshade shape and base size (look at what you already have to see if something is ready for a face-lift).

STEP 2: Chose fabric for your new shade.

STEP 3: Measure your styrene using the original shade as a guide. Cut to desired size, leaving a few centimeters overlap.

STEP 4: Iron the fabric and lay it printside-down on a table. Place adhesive styrene on the back of the fabric and apply by pressing the sticky side of the styrene onto the fabric in a continuous upward motion.

STEP 5: Keeping a half inch hanging on either side of the styrene, trim the excess fabric away.

STEP 6: Roll the styrene into a cylindrical shape, apply adhesive where the cylinder overlaps, and use your bonding clips to firmly hold the ends together while glue dries.

STEP 7: Insert the lampshade ring into the cylinder and use excess fabric to wrap around the ring. Use adhesive to affix fabric on inside edge the cylinder and use additional clips to hold tight while glue dries. Repeat the process on the bottom side and leave to dry for two hours.

STEP 8: Remove the clips and mount your new lampshade on its base.

Shape Your Vibe:
Cylinder
Cylindrical lamps shades are longer, and more narrow than a standard lamp. They cast the same amount of soft light from both the top and the bottom of the shade, so decorating your home with these tall lamps will lend soft, ambient light in a distinctly modern fashion. Keep the lines simple with a similarly long, narrow base.

Drum
Drum shades are squat and wide, inspired by mid-century and art deco styles. Wider in diameter and bigger in overall size, these shades work well in a large space, adding visual interest, coziness, and retro chic style to both traditional and contemporary spaces. It is best paired with either angular, hearty bases or slender, simple tube bases.

Bell
This shade style looks similar to an actual bell — narrow on top and wider at the bottom — and casts a soft light downwards, thus making it ideal for desk or reading lights. Its distinctive antique look works great in traditional spaces.