Design Your Own Desk Lamp Shade

A desk lamp shade doesn’t have to look boring. While a desk lamp is a valuable tool, you can have one that is both stylish and functional with just a little work and patience.

Fabric Shades

A fabric shade will probably offer the most versatility when it comes to design as they're the easiest to customize. You can use fabric ribbon, fabric paints, rubber stamps, sequins, and even small paper cut outs to design your shade. You can attach fringe and ribbon using a hot glue gun. If you have small items you want to add you can use a spray adhesive to give it a more seamless look.

Painting the shade can add a neat touch. You can achieve so many different looks by painting. You can paint a mural on the inside of the shade and use a lower wattage bulb to give the shade a stained glass look. You can paint a scene that matches the room décor on the outside for a completely customized look.

Glass Shades

The Bankers style and piano lamps are very popular because of their size. Here again, you don’t have to settle on what the stores offer only. These can still be customized. If you are able to find a clear shade your options will be more open, but you can still design a shade with a frosted shade as well.
You can purchase glass paints at any craft store. Lay out a pattern on the lamp with a pencil, use tubing paint to create an outline, and fill in the rest with glass paint. This will give you a wonderful stained glass shade without much effort.

You can also find glass films in a variety of styles and colors if you want a customized look without the work. These are designed to just cling to the glass. If you choose to do this just make sure you are finding films that are designed to withstand heat to avoid the cling melting. This will damage the lamp shade.

Swap Out The Shade

You can get a very unique look just by changing the shade. If you have a traditional desk lamp, try adding a very modern shade for a neat twist. You can do the same the other way, adding a traditional shade to a modern lamp. If you look around enough you can find a shade that will compliment the rest of the décor and make the lamp stand out.

Novelty Lamps

Get a customized look by using a novelty lamp instead of a traditional desk lamp. You can find lamps that look like candles, lamps that have lighted animals, lamps that are shaped like a flower vase. You can even find some with bulbs that can be swapped out with different colors.

Don’t think you are limited to a few styles with your desk lamp. Look around, shop online, and consider going outside the box to get a completely customized look.