I am completely obsessed with lamp shades. The eye naturally travels toward light sources (my opinion, not scientific fact) so I pay extra attention to windows and lighting fixtures. One can easily get carried away with custom lamp shades so I reel myself in and see what the room dictates. Likewise if a room has beautiful views and doesn’t require privacy I like to initially leave windows alone and see if they need “treatment” in the second phase of a project.
My client and I visited Just Shades on Spring Street in Nolita where we ordered the custom lamp shades. I love this store; the staff is very down to earth and helpful. Things can get very interesting in there when customers are faced with so many options! They carry a huge selection of in stock shades as well for those who require instant gratification.
In the master bedroom we chose a square shade with a luminescent lavender fabric (Cowtan & Tout Lilac Silk Plain) which doesn’t detract from the organic shape of the light fixture and compliments the nearby painting by Dana Gordon.
Left side: On the living room table lamp -again going with the oval shape- I combined two fabrics already in the overall design of that room: the leaf print sheer on the windows (“Leaf Sheer” by Cowtan and Tout – an alltime favorite) overlays the understated taupe silk (“Serenity” by Larsen) used for welting on the nearby Beidermeier chairs.
These finishing touches are what give a home more personality and an ongoing debate with my client over which is our current favorite lamp shade!
All photography: Qixotic Imagery
