Contemporary Lamp Shade:
The Drum Shade on this antique lamp circa mid century is considered a contemporary lamp shade This contemporary lamp shade (drum shade or more accurately shallow drum shade) shown on this antique candelabra lamp is actually about a half century old. It is not a reproduction.
Customers often request CONTEMPORARY LAMP SHADES. This generally refers to lamp shade styles currently in vogue and often seen in recent design magazines and other current home lighting publications and advertisements. br />
Definition of CONTEMPORARY: Marked by characteristics of the present period, Immediately relevant to the present, A certain perspective of the modern time period
Here is the irony. Most CONTEMPORARY LAMP SHADES of today had their origin many decades ago. For example, the most popular CONTEMPORARY LAMP SHADES today are the DRUM SHADE and the SHALLOW DRUM SHADE. These shades both originated in the early 1900's. Are they contemporary ? Are they retro ? Are they vintage lamp shade styles ? Yes. Yes. Yes.
CONTEMPORARY LAMP SHADES EXAMPLES BELOW: Mica Shades were developed in the early 1900's Black Shades were in use many decades ago Coolie Shades were in use many decades ago Hexagon 6 Sided Shades were in use many decades ago Leather Shades were developed in the early 1900's Oval Shades were in use in the 1800's Pleated Shades were in use in the 1800's Rectangle Shades were in use in the 1800's Square Shades were in use in the 1800's Beaded Shades were developed in the Victorian era (1800's) Burlap Shades were in use decades ago Bouillotte Shades were developed in the early 1800's Linen Shades were in use early 1900's Suede Shades were in use in the 1900's Metal Shades were developed many decades ago Paper Shades were in use decades ago Fabric Shades were in use decades ago Rattan Shades were in use in the 1800's Wicker Shades were in use in the 1900's String Shades were used in the early 1900's
Ummmm... so a major question remains, what shade styles are not CONTEMPORARY LAMP SHADES ? The answer is very few shade styles cannot be considered CONTEMPORARY LAMP SHADES. The main reason for this conundrum is the ever popular ECLECTIC method of decorating which includes various cultures, periods, methods, or styles, composed of elements drawn from various sources.
There are numerous sub categories of contemporary lamp shades that I may possibly address in a future article. These include, Funky, Industrial and other specialty type shades that are not currently in wide use.
An Extensive Selection of Contemporary Lamp Shades can be found here http://www.hoylelamps.com/Styles%20Shades.htm
- Jim Hoyle
Biography: Since 1979 Jim Hoyle has owned and operated Lamp & Shade Outlet http://www.hoylelamps.com/ Web's largest selection of lamp shades and antique lamps. The company website contains a wealth of free information about antique lamps, shades and lighting.
Visit his lamp shop and store at 2233 East Main Street, Lincolnton, North Carolina about 25 minutes from Charlotte.
We do everything for lamps, shades and chandeliers - buy, sell, repair, restore, rewire, refinish, lamp appraisals. .
