So, let's take a look at my shopping list, shall we?
First of all, lampshades. What started as a project to find a new shade for this lamp has morphed into a project to find new shades for two other lamps, as well. The very traditional bell shaped shades are no longer doing anything for me. They're too traditional. One of the lamps is currently in the living room, its sister is in the writing room. In the new configuration of both rooms, they will likely be reunited in the living room. This is an image from the lampmaker's site, the name of which is lost in history, but it's the best image I can come up with (since the shades went to the garage sale yesterday).
Alana's suggestion of a drum shade for the little dining table lamp started me thinking drum shade for these lamps, as well. I've decided the best size would be 16 x 16 x 11 for said shades. I know what I'd like, ideally, but I've been all over the city, and shades such as the ones I particularly crave cannot be found in good ol' SmallCity. Ordering online would be costly. But just to give you an idea of what I would have if I could, click here, or here, or here. Or here or here, for that matter. I like a number of the Giclee shades and the Stacy Garcia shades, but none of them are large enough, so I should stop mooning over them, I suppose.
In real life, where I supposedly live, Zellers has plain drum shades of the size I need for the two large lamps (no one has the right size for the small lamp). Zellers has them in cream or black. I'm leaning toward the more dramatic black. Cream is so ho-hum, and there will be a lot of cream in my living room already. Thoughts?
I plan to find a cheap lamp with the sort of shade I want for the little lamp, and buy it, put the shade on my lamp, and slip the other lamp into my friend's garage sale (or donate it). That seems to be the most rational solution. Even if it isn't particularly rational.
The other item on the shopping list is draperies. The ones hanging in the bedrooms were chosen by the woman who lived here before Mum & Dad moved in. They moved here in May of 1991. These drapes are not to my taste, particularly, nor were they to Mum's & Dad's tastes, but they have been the path of least resistance.
The drapes in what is now the Writing Room, formerly Mum's & Dad's bedroom, are blue, full-length. I may move them into my bedroom for now.
In real life, they're a bit bluer than that. The sunshine (such as it is) was fighting with me. I think they'll work with the bedlinens in my room. They'll necessitate rethinking the lamps, but that's fine.
The drapes in my bedroom must go. They are, well, ugly. They only reach to the bottom of the window. And the sheers are disintegrating, tattered and torn. See?
Over the years of Cures that I've participated in, I've worked hard to make draperies of other than pinch-pleats work on rods intended for pinch-pleats. I'm tired of doing that. I'm just going to live with the pleats.
For the Writing Room, I'm thinking that something of this line from Sears (just to simplify things) might work. Possibly these. I'm leaning toward white, as that would be nice and neutral. There are varying colors of art on the walls, and colored drapes might compete too much. Thoughts?
I have already purchased slipcovers for the chairs in the living room, but haven't yet tried them out. That's one of next week's projects. They are cream. I will discuss possible toss cushions for them during Living Room Week proper.
Good for you. It is time to stop "making do" with sheers which are disintegrating and curtains you don't like. How shiny are the silk? Is that something you want (will other things be shiny, too? I love the subtle sheen in my brown drapes).
ReplyDeleteAs for lampshades--I would be timid about black--but I say go for it and try it out for a week or so (however long they will let you have them--and do ask if you can return them IF you take off the miles of cello wrap. (A shade I once bought came wrapped in it--maybe you'll be lucky and won't have to deal with it!)
Are you allergic to glue? If not, one possible route is to buy some lovely ribbon and trim the lampshades with it for a custom look. I've always meant to do that. (I am very messy, though, and worry I'd just get glue everywhere.)
I'm kind of timid about the black, too, but the cream looks so boring. I assume I'd have to use a hotglue gun to do embellishment of the shades, and I can imagine the catastrophe that could be (allergies would have a problem too, but... I'm envisioning lampshades that end up being embellished with SCB when I stick myself to them!) Otherwise, it would be cool to do something creative. Creative is, after all, part of my Style Statement!
ReplyDeleteThere's one more place I can look. e
I might have to "make do" with the cream shades. Sigh. They're not terribly expensive, though. So if the black didn't turn out, I wouldn't be too far in the hole.
I'm not sure about how shiny the drapes are. There isn't a lot of other shininess in the room, though.
What do you think about the idea of white? The walls are generic apartment blah-beige.
I agree, decluttering can result to shopping :)
ReplyDeleteCould you consider buying a lampshade of the right form and then redoing it? removing the blah canvas and adding something fresher to it?
I'm also doubting the black one, but it could work.
About the drapes, I have white drapes in the livingroom and I love them. Those are for decoration only, I never close them, so they do not need to keep light out. Silk can look good, if you don't want as shiny then raw silk could be cool. I have linen drapes and I love their texture.
hey, you can try out the idea of the white drapes with white sheets, to check how they would look with the rest of the room.
ReplyDeleteAha! Onshore, I think you may have the answer to the lampshade problem. (The living room may have to be renamed the Leena room, since you're giving so much inspiration for it!)
ReplyDeleteI will start investigating how to go about making my own lampshades. Thank you.
What about more sheer drapes in white? I rarely have these pulled across, so their function is mostly decorative.
oh! Great idea about the sheets, too. Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks scb, I'm glad I can provide some inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSheer drapes... why not, but aren't they at their best when they are pulled across, when light goes through them. I don't think you see their beauty when they are on the sides, but if you sometimes pull them across, like in the hottest summer months, they can look suberb.
Especially if the hot Californian wind moves them gently :)
That lovely imaginary hot California wind! That made me chuckle. Thank you!
ReplyDelete