At Cuvée Home, our story began with a simple goal: Beautiful lighting should be attainable. As a designer, I've spent years guiding clients who loved design but felt overwhelmed when it came to choosing the right lamp or shade. What size? What style/pattern/color? How do you know it will balance the room just right?
We created Cuvée Home to bridge that gap: offering curated, accessible lighting pieces with the thoughtful intention and guidance that makes them easy to trust and select.
In that spirit, we put together this Lampshade Size & Style guide: a resource born directly from real client conversations, common questions, and the lessons that make a home glow with intention.
We aim to take the guesswork out of your decision-making and bring more joy to your shopping process and your home! We love a well-designed lamp, and we love it even more when it has a great shade, so let’s chat about what you need to know:
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SIZE FOR YOUR LAMP
- Measuring the widest part of your lamp base will help you to determine the ideal diameter of your shade. A general rule of thumb is that you want the shade to be about twice as wide as your lamp base and about ⅔ of the height of the base.
- The shade should keep the lamp neck, harp, and all hardware hidden or minimally visible underneath the shade (our Created by Cuvée lamps have a beautiful gold-leafed top cap). If the shade isn’t fitting just right, we recommend switching out your harp size. Your goal is for the shade to not only fit the lamp base properly but also to look proportional.
- Our Created by Cuvée lamps come with recommended shade size and pattern pairings to take the guesswork out of your selections!
HOW TO SELECT THE PATTERN AND COLOR
After determining the size comes the fun part of selecting the pattern or color. It’s always best to keep the room in mind when considering a lampshade:
- Opt for a plain shade when you’re working in a room filled with other eye-catching patterns.
- Select something patterned when you feel a space needs a pop.
- We particularly love a patterned shade paired with a classic lamp base silhouette - even with the modern touch of the pattern, the gathered pleat will help to keep a traditional feel to the design.
- Switching out your lampshade seasonally is an easy way to keep the design of your space reflecting the time of year. When Fall arrives, switch to warmer, darker hues, and welcome Spring with brighter colors for a space that always feels fresh.
- We love mixing and matching and sell our lamp bases and shades separately to allow you to best fit the needs of your space!
A FEW TIPS AND TRICKS
Design by Matthew Carter, photo by Brie Williams
Box Pleat Lampshades add an element of sophistication to a space. Think formal living room, dining room, or your primary bedroom. They can also dress up an otherwise casual space.
Lamp and shades by Cuvée Home
On the contrary, a lampshade can be used for a striking contrast in a space, giving that space a special pop - a designer’s touch.
Design by Miles Redd
THE RIGHT BULB CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
A lamp can be the perfect size and style accompanied by the perfect shade, but the wrong light bulb may keep you from the look you’re hoping to achieve. We recommend a 2700K bulb in terms of temperature and personally prefer 40 watt for softer lighting, especially in places like bedrooms, but they are available in 60 watt as well.
Our Petite lamps (in Sky and Stone) take a smaller candle-style bulb and can be found in 40 watt or 60 watt.
READY TO CHOOSE YOUR PERFECT SHADE?
In the end, what matters most is that YOU love your home. Buy what you love, keep experimenting, trying different ideas, and have fun with your space. And don’t forget to share your spaces with us @cuveehome - we love to see what you are designing!
Still have questions? Please reach out to us at hello@shopcuveehome.com for additional guidance. We'd love to help you select a shade to complete your space!
