Lightshade help needed

[sarimillie]

Really short of inspiration for a shade for the pendant light in my living room. The room is painted a milk chocolate/ purply brown, with white woodwork and blinds, beige carpet. Mirror and furniture dark wood, sofas dark brown leather. Cushions/throws plum. Lightswitches etc brushed chrome. The overall style is eclectic but quite plain. It's very cosy and I'm happy with it, but stuck on the light!
It needs to be quite big (ceilings are high), and conceal the bulb. I'd happily consider stripes or a pattern, metal or glass - but my budget is tight : around £60, but I'd love to find something for less.
Thoughts very welcome!

Hunkydory Home have some nice drum shades: www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk/hunkycat/lampshades-c-29.html?page=99

Also Graham and Greene.

Have you looked at BHS lightshades? BHS lighting is fab, I think.

The white string shade here looks good but I havent seen it in RL.
It has a diffuser.
That said it migth be a little to pale with a dark painted room
www.next.co.uk/x491112s1

Pendents with diffusers are usually quite pricey, but there are a couple on this page too
www.onlinelighting.co.uk/shop/pendant-lights/non-electric-shade-pendants.html

Thank you both! Beautiful shades, and not too pricey. Love the white string one- will go and check it out.

Oddly enough the whiteness of that Next one should be ok despite dark paint, since there is a lot of white in the room - sparkle mentioned in reviews is really what needs checking!

sooner or later you will probably move to CFLs (energy saving lamps). So either get one that conceals the lamp, or make a point of them getting CFLs with a pearl bulb-shaped or round glass enclosure. It is less dazzing and lkooks better that those white tubes. Sainburys have (or had) them in their Basics (value) range so they need not be expensive.

If the lamp is on show in an open shade, you can buy big round ones (150mm or so) like balls, which can look quite nice, by Philips or GE, but they are more expensive (if that matters). They should last for years unless they are Memolux brand which is rubbish, and nothing to do with the top quality electrical manufacturer M.E.M.

I love this one and my daughter is called Romilly like the light here

PigletJohn - we have an energy saving 20w bulb in there which is apparently equivalent to 100w, but it's ugly - will look out for the ones you mention! I fancy one with a diffuser for here because it needs a softer light. Loveisblue - that's pretty! How purple is the light it throws?

Try Etsy for some inspriation, eg: www.etsy.com/shop/DesignsOnPaper?ga_search_query=lampshade&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=GB&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fhousewares

this is similar but without the sparkles, however it's off white rather than white.

or this

or this

Or something completely different: how about one of these?

Not sure have only seen it online but I love it - I am sure you could buy and return if not suitable as John Lewis are pretty good.

minipie I looked at that J Lewis shade too, the first one that is, but its actually pale green and you can see the bulb from underneath - I am on the lookout for sth similiar for myself!

sarimillie

they look like this
the one shown is an Edison Screw cap, but they are also available in Bayonet Cap (UK standard)

CFLs are supposed to have 5 times the light output so a 20W CFL is about the same as a 100W lamp, but it seems to me you lose a bit on the pearl globe, so mine are mostly 24W. They are called Globe Lamps. Look for Warm White 2700K (the "Daylight White" is a bit cold-feeling)

retail round about £10
smaller ones are cheaper.

this one doesn't look too bad

Just saw minipie's post I have two cable and cotton shades in ivory they are lovely -and great people to deal with. Wish they did the big shade in lots of colours - want the strings for DD's room when she is a little older. There is a lovely shop in Paris that has the big shades in hundreds of colours they will send to uk. www.lacasedecousinpaul.com/

here

Ooh lovely - lots of shades and bulbs to choose from! Am feeling much more inspired now - thank you!