Find the right style for your space.

But as you search for lamps, the options can feel endless.

To start, a lamp has a base and a shade.

different types of lampshades

Credit:Brie Goldman; Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

The harp is what holds your lampshade above your bulb.

Finials can be as basic as a brass sphere or as ultra-funky as a pineapple.

Best for:Classic, traditional controls.

empire lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

Best for:Classic, traditional spaces.

Hexagonal or Pagoda

At a glance, hexagonal and pagoda lampshades may look similar.

Best for:Classic, traditional aesthetics.

bell lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

Dome

With a nod to retro forms,dome shapescast their light downwards.

You’ll often see this iteration constructed of metal or glass.

This lampshade style provides a nice decorative element to modern spaces.

Hexagonal or Pagoda lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

Best for:Spaces that need directional light over a specific area and industrial andmidcentury modernor modern aesthetics.

Drum/Cylindrical

This sleek shade features a wide cylindrical shape flanked by tall sides.

Best for:Any design style.

dome lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

Oval

Oval lampshades feature a narrow depth and are ovular in shape.

Best for:Smaller spaces or narrow pieces of furniture.

Square and Rectangular

Rectangular and square shades have structured, geometric appearances.

Drum or Cylindrical lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

While rectangular shades have two longer sides, square shades share equal dimensions on every side.

Best for:Modern spacesand lamp bases.

Rectangular lampshades can work great on narrow pieces of furniture as well.

oval lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

Best for:Statement pieces andcasual orkid-friendly spaces.

Best for:Traditional aesthetics.

For example, if your lamp base is 8 inches wide and 30 inches tall.

Square and Rectangular lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

Then, your shade should be at least 16 inches in diameter and at least 20 inches in height.

Picking the right size also means ensuring that your harp doesn’t peek through.

It just depends on how you’d like your lamp to function for you.

novelty lampshade

Credit:Brie Goldman. Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek

There are semi-opaque and fully-opaque lampshades.

This is considered a semi-opaque shade.

Quick Tips for Choosing a Lampshade

Bowl lamp shades in white kitchen

Credit:Ryann Ford