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So you’ve found your perfect lampshade at last! It only took years of chewing over, changing your mind, deciding exactly what you were looking for only to completely change your ‘signature style’ a week later. Know what I’m saying? Well, we’ve all been there (she says hopefully).
But seriously, now what? You have your cherished piece of interior heaven (how you lived without it for so long I have no idea) and you are ready to show the world
Here I am, this is my style and I am proud of it!
But wait, what about the lamp base! Getting lighting right is no easy task and the fact that we have to choose a lampshade and a base is quite frankly rather cruel. So here are some top tips and inspiration to help those of you who haven’t surmounted this torturous task yet.
The following are guidelines only, proven to work, most of the time, though there are always exceptions.
You don’t usually want to see the switch or bulb holder so make sure the lampshade drops below this level. Stand back at various angles and check. How does it look from standing/ sitting on the sofa/ sitting in the bed etc.
Shape: Mimic the shape of the lampshade. This rule can be extended to the table the light is sitting on and other shapes in the room for a unifying theme.
Height: Make sure your lamp base is 2:3 the height of the lampshade. This follows the golden ratio, which creates a scene that is pleasing to the eye.
Width: Use a similar width lampshade to the height of the base.
Look: A busy lampshade might well call for a more neutral base and visa versa though if busy is your thing then go wild and break the mould!
House of Hackney
The Golden ratio is a special number found by dividing a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part.
In equation form, it looks like this: a/b = (a+b)/a = 1.6180339887498948420 …
This golden ratio appears naturally all around us in science and nature: the human face, shells, animal bodies, galaxies etc, has been used in architectural formulas dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans and guided artist From Leonardo da Vinci to Mondrian and Le Corbusier.
Our brains have evolved over time to receive and interpret inform more efficiently. Therefor the human eye will interpret an image/ landscape which features the golden ratio faster and more easily than one that does not. This ratio represents the best proportions to transfer information to the brain.
When we see the proportions in the golden ratio, we are helped. We feel pleasure and we call it beauty.
Adrian Bejan, professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina
Interior designers use this ratio all the time. Try it! You will probably find you are doing it already naturally.
If you can’t find the lamp base you’re looking for or want to add your own flair then get creative! Do your research, find the perfect components from bits of drift wood to old soda stream bottles and get cracking. Imagine the sense of satisfaction when you’re finished.
Here are some untreated wooden lamp bases we sell to our customers who then add their own finish: wax, paint, decoupage, you name it the options are endless and we have seven styles to choose from.
Ready to shop lamp bases? Start here
Do you have the perfect lamp base to show us? Tag us #Needcraft in your images on social media and we will aim to re-share them!
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