Lamp Shades

Lamp shades are the crowning ornament of any lamp or lighting fixture. Commonly constructed from fabric, parchment, glass, or metal, shades help to diffuse or focus the light and create ambience.

When oil lamps began to be used as street lights in 17th century Paris, they were fitted with reflectors alongside the flame to help project the light downward and from side to side. As gas lighting evolved, shades were used to diffuse the stronger, improved light source. Decorative shades also came into fashion with the dawn of the electric bulb. Hand-crafted leaded glass Tiffany shades are some of the most iconic and highly-coveted American design pieces today.

Quick Facts

• Real Tiffany lamp shades used high-quality glass panes and confetti glass, so named because it has flecks of multiple colors in a single pane
• Lighthouses were able to shine beams of light far out to sea because of the enormous etched-glass lenses specifically designed by Augustin Jean Fresnel to refract and focus light
• Danish mid-century designer Poul Henningsen created the Artichoke lamp for manufacturer Louis Poulsen using a series of staggered steel-plated shades to create a contemporary riff on the traditional crystal chandelier