Discovering a niche gap in the interiors market, that happily coincided with his passion for creativity, Rab Moghal of Light Owl made it his personal mission to create a lampshade making business that would stand head and shoulders above the rest. By applying his far-reaching business knowledge, principles and efficiencies and by having a positive passion for his lampshades, customers and team, Light Owl have recently sold their 4,000th shade - that's after just two and half

Lampshade making comes in many forms and although making ‘hard shades’ is a popular and easy way to achieve a stunning new lampshade, our NEW Soft Shade Making series focuses on getting you started making traditional lampshades. Over the coming months, we'll focus on the materials and tools you'll need, share with you the techniques, tricks and tips for soft lampshade making and of course provide you with plenty of lampshade making inspiration from Dannells' expert soft shade

We're thrilled that this month's #memadeshade winner is @bridget9696, who has been a regular in our 'Most Liked shades' throughout our Instagram competition! Her winning lampshade is a cyanotype 'Allium', which is beautifully highlighted against its indigo background. Just the lampshade for this time of year it symbolises not only the end of the summer but also reminds Bridget (and us!) of autumn fireworks! Congratulations, @bridget9696! Your £100 voucher is on its way to you

As the autumn rolls in your #memadeshades keep coming and we've loved browsing through September's entries. As well as a source of pure inspiration for our new lampshade makers, each one shows a little bit of personality and we really enjoy getting to know you thorough your shades, as well as admiring them! September's deserving #memadeshade winner, @thenakedweaver may be a newbie to lampshade making but is definitely no stranger to crafting. Our huge congratulations go to El

Making and selling lampshades may be your dream job, but have your thought about the more regulatory and safety considerations of retailing your own lampshades? In this BEAM post we’ve collated information, standards and guidance in association with The Lighting Industry Association (LIA), to highlight what you need to know from a safety perspective and to ensure the hard lampshades you’re making are to the highest possible safety standards. Lighting terminology Before we st

With Autumn in full swing, high street homeware departments are full of new ‘must have’ accessories to help you create the ultimate cosy home for the colder season ahead. So if you’re looking for a lighting refresh, but are on a budget or simply prefer to have a go at making things yourself, look no further than our inspirational High Street Lampshade Hacks below using our lampshade making kits and materials. We’ll guarantee that you’ll not only make savings, but have the sat

The selling platform giant eBay might not sing 'handmade' or be your first choice for selling your lampshades, but as we take a closer look in this month's BEAM post, there's definitely potential to boost your brand, gain loyal customers and showcase your shades. How big is eBay? The simple answer is BIG! eBay is one of the biggest online selling platform in the UK, second to Amazon and has whopping 298 million visits per month. As a global selling platform, the ubiquitous eB

It’s NEW product time and today we’d like to introduce you to our Pleated Lampshade Sleeves which are smart lampshade solution, in more ways than one! Made using neat accordion pleating, our Pleated Lampshade Sleeves are quick and easy to put together and will add instant sophistication to any room! Offering an eye-catching interior alternative to a shop-bought lampshade, our Pleated Lampshade Sleeves work in tandem with our stylish French Drum frames, which taper outwards fr

With summer in full swing, sunshine has not stopped play, or lampshade making to be more precise! So, it seems very fitting that August's #memadeshade winner is a beautiful coastal scene, made by Ben of @studio.goldfinch, depicting the very pretty town of Port Issac in Cornwall, using his original lino print design. Ben's win scoops him a £100 Dannells voucher and our congratulations go to him on his winning with his lampshade prototype. We're sure that by adding shades to hi

The skill of making bespoke curtains and blinds is not to be underestimated, as many curtain and blind makers will know. From initial measure up to the handover of the finished product, hours of work, skill and knowledge are put to use. But what if you, as a curtain maker, could add another soft furnishings skill to your repertoire to increase the services you offer? When changing the look and feel of a space, buying a new lampshade naturally goes hand in hand with changing o

'Diffuser' might be a new word for your lampshade lexicon, but they’re a handy addition to your lampshade making materials, enabling you to change the look of your shade and the light it emits. Far from dull, our diffusers come in a range of shapes, sizes and patterns and if you're keen to add another aesthetic trick to your arsenal, we'll take you through what you need to know about diffusers, as well as a handy tutorial on how to make your own from your chosen fabric. What’

As a follow up to our recent post on our fabulous and creative laminated parchment papers, we’d like to introduce you to their perfect partner – Self Adhesive Textile Tapes. Primrose yellow, bottle green, blush pink and mid grey are just a few of the 35 colours (yep – you read right!) that our Self Adhesive Textile Tapes are available in, meaning whatever colour you’re looking for we’re bound to have it! Not only used to create a strong bond at the top and bottom of a parchme

It's great when you make or find a shade that fits all seasons, brightens up a corner and adds a touch of sophistication to your home too. July's #memadeshade winning lampshade ticks all of these boxes! Made by Neringa of @chantier.studio, the contrast circles of green, blue and yellow certainly make this shade pop. Huge congratulations Neringa and your £100 voucher to spend on our Dannells website is on it's way! Based in Lithuania, Neringa's passion for lampshade making has

We've loved helping you explore the many ways of expanding your business with our more practical Business Expertise and Advice for Makers posts, but what about learning from someone who's experienced and developed a successful homeware brand? Sian Elin has managed to do just that, by capitalising on her talents as a print designer, being stocked by and collaborating with high street stores, as well as receiving national press accolades and presenting lampshades on live TV. Wi

Our bottle lamp adaptors are a great way of enjoying your favourite spirit and making a table lamp, surely a winning combination? For today’s post we’ve taken this one step further and added a simple, but effective decorative touch to our handmade base using copper tape, more commonly seen in gardens as a defence against pests. Converting any bottle to a lamp is quick and easy using one of our bottle lamp adaptors leaving time for you to make up a bespoke lampshade making kit

Parchment lampshades are back! Offering a delicate, soft glow and holding plenty of possibilities for creativity, their natural feel fits well with many interior trends. Just a small step up in terms of skill from making one of our lampshade making kits in this post we'll introduce you to five types of parchment and tips on how to finish your parchment shades. The Story of Parchment Over the years lampshades have been made from many materials and parchments, although used pre

You've ticked off all of the online marketplaces for selling your lampshades and your business is off to a great start, but there is another often overlooked opportunity that could be sitting right on your doorstep - selling to small independent retailers. If you love browsing and buying in independent shops as much as the next person why not put your products on their shelves! In this BEAM post, we take you through how to approach being stocked in small retailers, what you'l

We often ask our lampshade makers ‘what’s your favourite part of making a lampshade?’ and more often than not it’s when the lampshade comes together and the seam is closed - the magic moment when you start to see a beautiful, bespoke shade. Closing the seam on your lampshade is important for creating a long-lasting and professional product and to help you choose the best finish for securing your seam, we’re highlighting four Dannells products for you to try. A little history

Spanning both fashion and interiors, Cottagecore started to gain traction in early 2019, evolving as an internet and social media trend, due to it’s popularity with the younger generations, particularly in the US. Cottage Core focuses on aspirations of rural lifestyles, romantic home styling, cosy country cottage vibes mixed with crafts and lifestyle hobbies, such as flower arranging, baking and gardening. A homely life is essentially at its core. A well adopted trend during

As well as being specialists in all things lampshades, did you know at Dannells we are print specialists too? By combining our knowledge and expertise of the two, we're able to print unique artwork and illustrations directly onto fabrics selected for their suitability for lampshade making. And what better way to celebrate the success of our printing service, by showing off the fantastic lampshades of Tide and Isle, a new venture by long-time lampshade maker Lucy Lo-Vel, using