How to make a lampshade with your own hands?

Lighting plays an important role in the home. A well-chosen light source is a combination of correct brightness and power with a beautiful design of the lamp. A good solution would be a chandelier, a floor lamp or a lamp under the lampshade. But if neither the stylization for the last century, nor the modern product fit the interior, the lampshade can be made with your own hands!

Elements of the interior, made on an individual project, conveniently and beautifully integrated into the home environment.They are made of those materials and in those colors that are combined with the design of the rooms and are key for a particular style direction.

But appearance is not everything. Any product must not only comply with the interior, but also fulfill its functions. Before you learn how to make a lampshade with your own hands, it is important to determine where to make it. The choice of materials is influenced by the following nuances:

• The location of the lampshade. There are several options: ceiling, floor lamps on a high leg, with fastening to the wall, table lamps. It is difficult to imagine on the bedside table the same overall design as under the ceiling. In turn, a small bedside lamp will not cope with the functions of the chandelier in the living room.

• Dimensions. The larger the diameter of the ceiling, the harder it is to make it out of small elements. If for a fabric shade you need only a meter of material, then for a canopy of ice cream sticks you will have to eat more than a dozen popsicle.

• Purpose Lamp shades are suitable for many occasions. They create a romantic setting for a date, a cozy chamber environment for friendly conversations, give the interior a zest and lightness.The more light the room requires, the thinner and easier the materials should be, the darker the lighting is planned - the denser the materials can be and the more saturated the colors.

• Cost Not all materials will be cheaper than buying a ready-made lampshade. So, lace, velvet, and some other noble fabrics many times exceed the cost of a product made from scrap materials.

Lampshades made of fabrics, leather, various types of paper, fragments of wood, ropes and ribbons, beads, and metal are very popular. No less common are products from "waste" things and "alterations" that have received a new life.

Not every fabric is suitable for sewing a lampshade. Conventionally, it can be divided into two types: transparent and dense.

Transparent is designed for chandeliers and floor lamps, which should illuminate a large area. This fabric allows you to create beautiful designer ceiling without compromising the technical characteristics of lighting. Light veils, thin-laced aerial products, “knitted” openwork ceiling lamps are suitable.

Dense fabrics are needed to create a chamber atmosphere.These include satin, jacquard, linen, gunny, flock, silk, staple, fabric with photo printing. There is also a fabric on the lighting canvas, designed exclusively for lamp shades of geometric shapes.

Thick fabrics are more variable in terms of design. They come in any desired shades and can have a pattern: geometric patterns, various types of cage, plots, birds and animals, floral and floral motifs. Separately, it is worth noting products made of leather, corrugated fabrics and the possibility of using adhesive tapes and ribbons to form folds of any shape.

Alteration of old things will help to save on the creation of an original fabric shade. In the course will go holey jeans, which the hand did not rise to throw out, a sweater, which tasted the mole, cuts from burlap and any clothes that have served.

In the design of lamps made of wood, the base is often performed, and for the ceiling needed less heavy materials. However, this does not prevent the use of small, lightweight wooden parts of non-trivial shape to create a lampshade.

It can be braided products from strips of wood (like a basket or a box), flexible thin branches (willow, hazel, birch), thin wood cuts up to 10 centimeters in diameter, strung on ropes in accordance with the type of curtains for the doorway.A more original look is a lampshade, the frame of which is made of an old wastebasket, and the ceiling is decorated with even rows of wooden clothespins. From the budget options - decoration for the lamp of sushi sticks or a simple and elegant shade from the hoop for knitting.

Solid wooden ceiling also found on the market. These are the finest cylinders that retain the texture of wood and transmit light, but they are difficult to manufacture and require some skill in carpentry. In addition, because of the material and production technology, they are of high cost.

Many in the phrase “metal lampshade” have associations with bulky candelabra under the ceiling from Gothic interiors, but modern technologies allow the production of elegant and laconic products from aluminum and similar metals in properties. They have a different shape, the depth of the dome, can be integral or consisting of some "edges", like a bare frame.

The budget version of their own hands is easy to make from wire (aluminum or copper). Aluminum is larger in diameter, suitable for products of fancy shapes, but without decorative elements.Copper wire is thinner and more flexible. It produces not only intricate ceilings, but also beautiful decor of any degree of complexity. The finished product from a wire can be painted entirely or separate fragments.

Another option for homemade artwork is a shade of coins. If old Soviet-era money has been preserved at home, these depreciated rubles can be turned into an original ceiling lamp if glued with ribs using superglue. Multi-sized metal circles should form a deep bowl in which the light bulb fits.

It is important to bear in mind that this is hard work, and even a small product will need a lot of coins, so you should not choose this option to decorate the chandelier in the living room. But as a decorative ornament for the table, it will be very useful.

Gypsum lampshades are rare. Most often used are semicircular and curly ceiling lamps in interiors in historical, especially antique, style.

Making it yourself is easy. It will take only plaster mix, water, medical bandage and the basis on which the future ceiling will be formed. The work takes place as in the papier-mâché technique, but instead of pieces of paper, small fragments of a bandage, soaked in a plaster mix, are used.

After drying, the product of plaster will be textured and uneven. It can be left this way or polished with fine sandpaper to smoothness.

Finished plastic products strike a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Not a smaller number of original plastic lamp shades can be made personally using household items from this material. Among the popular products are bottles, cups, disposable spoons and straws. The most convenient are drinking bottles of large volume.

Colored plastic is used to cut small parts out of it. For example, you can make leaves, circles, ovals, diamonds, and then fix them on the frame. Transparent plastic serves as a basis for painting with acrylics and stained glass paints.

From the bottles of 5 or more liters it turns out the finished cover, if you cut off the lower part of the container.The remaining top already has a hole for the cartridge, and the bottom edge can be shaped, cut off (heated plastic gets fancy shapes), trimmed with another material. It remains only to draw a picture.

Paper lampshades - one of the cheapest, comfortable and easy to perform. They are lightweight and universal. As in the case of textiles, they are more transparent or dense.

Light, transmitting a lot of light, such lampshades are made of parchment or rice paper. Before you cut the parts, the sheets must be smoothed iron. Dense lampshades can be made of cardboard, wallpaper, newspaper pages in papier-mâché technique.

The most popular and simplest option is a product made of threads (twine, sisal, twine, jute), which are soaked in a large amount of PVA glue and wrapped around a balloon or an inflatable ball. Due to the fact that during drying the glue becomes transparent, no traces on the threads, even colored ones, will remain.

A more coarse-looking and complex lampshade is made of braided clothesline or rope. It will not be possible to give it a round shape, but the classic semi-circular, cone-shaped or cylindrical cover will be ideal for rooms in a nautical style and loft-interiors.Also interesting are wicker plafonds made of twigs, twine, using macrame technique.

With good imagination and skillful hands, you can make a lampshade from less pliable materials: beads, beads, satin ribbon scraps, used discs, shells, book sheets or unnecessary musical notebooks, corrugated cardboard, molds for cupcakes and many other trifles that have no use.

The choice of a particular style direction for interior design requires you to stick to it even in small things:

• If the interior prevails one of the classic directions, it is necessary to give preference to quality materials and noble shades. Fabrics, laces, bronze, golden and silver elements, graceful forms, white, beige, burgundy, emerald, brown, as well as ivory and shades of fine wood are suitable. Especially advantageous will look the lampshade, which looks as if he inherited from the intelligent great-grandmother.

• Ethnic design implies the presence of the national color of a country. European styles to stiffness and elegance,Asian region is more characteristic of lightness, airiness, simplicity, oriental style embodies fabulous motifs, bright colors, precious jewelry, a combination of a large number of shades.

• Russian style, contrary to ideas, is not a jumble of national symbols, but wealth, solidity, beauty and good quality; American - freedom of expression and original materials, for example, the cover of the pages of tabloids.

• Styles close to nature, have to natural and simple materials - wood, straw, coarse thread.

• Modern directions as much as possible free from restrictions. They are allowed to use absolutely any materials, waste items and the most unexpected solutions: lamp shades of rope, candy wrappers, used disks with a smooth surface, paper cups and cocktail tubes. And these are just a few variations on the topic.

At first glance, making a lampshade on your own may not be an easy task, but a detailed description will help to deal with it in a few simple steps.The most light in execution are frameless paper products, twine, lace.

To assemble a paper lampshade-accordion for a chandelier, a floor lamp or a desk lamp, you will need:

• Prepare a piece of paper (you can wallpaper) 150 cm long and at least 30 cm wide;
• A simple pencil on the line to identify the "edges" of the accordion by 3 or 5 cm;
• Assemble the accordion, focusing on the planned lines;
• Using a hole punch, make holes in the plafond along the top edge and insert a ribbon or cord in them to adjust the width of the top edge of the plafond;
• Glue the two ends of the accordion with superglue.

To create the most popular globular lampshade you will need: 20-25 meters of cotton-linen thread (thick) or soft rope, scissors, construction PVA glue, water, glue container, marker, dense solid-colored inflatable ball, medical gloves, petroleum jelly, base for the lamp.

Actions are performed in stages:

• Prepare the work surface. It is most convenient to perform actions on a table covered with a film;
• Dilute the glue with water in a ratio of 2 to 1, put a ball of yarn into the resulting solution. It should get wet through.If necessary, you can add more solution during the work;
• While the threads absorb glue, inflate the ball to the desired size, around the tail of the ball mark a circle, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the light bulb. Lightly walk the ball of petroleum jelly;

• Tie a ball with a thread and wrap it in a chaotic order until it runs out of thread. It is desirable that the weaving is thin and spiderlike;
• When the weaving is finished, the tip of the thread must again be fastened around the tail of the ball and cut off the excess;
• Suspend the ball in a dry place for 48 hours until completely dry. It is important to note that glue will drip from it, so a capacity should be provided at the bottom.
• Pierce or blow off the ball and take it out of the lampshade. The product is ready.

Incredibly beautiful shades of round lace napkins. They give the room sophistication and romanticism, and it is very simple in execution.

Since the basis of the lace is thread, the manufacturing technology is similar to the previous version:

• Prepare a workplace and everything you need: scissors, white glue without yellowness or transparent, lace or lace napkins, water, a contrasting inflatable balloon without a pattern;
• Dissolve the glue with water, immerse in a mixture of napkins for decorating;

• Inflate the ball, mark the hole under the bulb, lubricate the surface of the ball with petroleum jelly;
• Overlap the lace circles, moving from the indicated hole for the bulb clockwise;
• Leave on for 24-48 hours for complete drying;
• Fasten the cartridge and lamp.

Also to frameless lampshades are products made of metal, plastic and wooden fragments that are glued together, forming a semi-circular or round ceiling. For example, from coins, gears, cups, branches.

The frame is required for more complex in the performance of products made of thin paper or fabric. It allows you to collect lampshades of different shapes, sizes and complexity.

Ideal for the realization of the conceived ideas foundation from the old lampshade.

If not, you can make a new one from the following materials:

1. Wire.
2. Metal hangers for clothes.
3. Plastic packaging from the drinks.
4. Plastic and wicker baskets.
5. Embroidery hoop.

The wire frame is the most laborious, but the product from it is reliable and sturdy.The main advantage of the wire is that it allows you to give the base any shape: cone, cylinder, square, tetrahedron.

The assembly requires steel wire with a thickness of 2-3 mm, wire cutters, pliers (pliers), round-nose pliers, a hammer, a wooden chock, sandpaper, paint enamel, a soldering iron.

Working process:

• Straighten the wire on a wooden chock with a hammer.
• Cut the wire into pieces in accordance with the diameter of the upper and lower rings and the height of the "edges" of the frame.
• Finished fragments cleaned of irregularities and rust with sandpaper; using round pliers and pliers, give them the desired shape. The classic frame is two round bases of different diameter and 4-6 ribs.
• The ends of the workpiece for the base cut at an angle, set aside.
• At the upper end of each piece of wire for the manufacture of edges, make a small buttonhole and thread them into the upper ring of the frame. Distribute at the same distance.
• Wrap the ends of the wire on the upper ring and the joints of the base with the ribs with thin copper wire, press it with pliers and solder.
• Round pliers bend the loop at the lower ends of the ribs,lay the bottom base ring on them, adjust the distance, press it with pliers, wind it with wire, press it again with pliers and solder.
• The finished frame to cover with light-colored enamel, so that after a while the wire does not start to darken and does not leave dirty stains on the fabric shade.

The frame of the old metal hangers for clothing going on the same principle as the wire, but requires less effort and it turns out less durable.

For its manufacture, you need to unwind the shoulders into long wire strips, of which with the help of pliers and round pliers the details of the desired shape and size are formed. Excess can be bitten off with pliers. Between the parts are connected with the help of construction glue, thin wire or electrical tape.

Empty plastic bottles with a volume of 5 liters can also serve as a good basis for a lampshade if you remove the cap and cut off the bottom. The resulting ceiling can be painted, painted, decorated with plastic parts.

A large space for imagination is given by three-kopeck plastic baskets for used paper and outdated wicker baskets.They are almost ready to be used as a lampshade, it remains only to make a hole in the bottom for the light bulb, and if you turn on the fantasy and decorate them, then no one will recognize yesterday’s ballot box in the luxurious floor lamp.

The latter type of frame is also based on the use of a familiar object in an unusual way. For the manufacture of a simple and convenient wooden base you will need only a hoop for embroidery of different diameters. The rings are connected to each other with a rope, braid or cord with any convenient knot or through holes drilled around the perimeter. They can be arranged in ascending order for floor lamps and descending for ceiling chandeliers.

For sewing a classic fabric shade in the form of a cylinder, you will need a pattern, textiles, upper and lower frame rings, PVC film for lamp shades or white cotton, textiles and a thread spool in color, a sewing machine, iron, glue, scissors, clothespins, a damp cloth, weights .

Step-by-step instructions on how to pull over an old lampshade with a new cloth or to sheathe a cover with a new frame include several steps:

• Preparation of the workplace.
• Creating a drawing pattern. A cylindrical lampshade is enough to measure with a measuring tape, and the tapered one needs to be “rolled” over a sheet of paper to draw a pattern. Having marked the beginning, it is applied to the line on the paper so that it coincides with the mark, and rolled over the sheet, marking every 3-5 centimeters a new point at the top and bottom until the “beginning” mark again touches the paper. In this place draw the second line. To the finished drawing, you must add 2-4 cm at the edges, then transfer the pattern to the fabric and PVC film. Cut the part on the film.

• Gluing film on fabric. It should coincide exactly with the drawing, plus allowances of 3-4 cm from each edge. Now you can cut.
• Assembly. There are two options: stitch or glue the cover to the base. The second is much faster and easier, so most prefer it. Assembly begins with fixing the lampshade on the upper and lower ring with the help of pegs or clamps. It is important to observe a uniform indentation from the edge so that the fabric fits well to the base. If the lampshade is fixed correctly, you need to mark the upper and lower edges, and the place where the seam joint formed at least in two points.

• "Stitching". Remove the clothespins, unfold the lampshade, put face down on the work surface. Then connect at the designated points and glue with superglue. After the product must be turned over and put on the seam weights, so that the glue is well grabbed.
• Edge processing. Here allowances left at the beginning are useful. They are treated with glue, and then bend inward, around the base ring, and fasten with clips. This must be done alternately with the upper and lower ring.

• Gluing paper tape. This stage is not mandatory, but for greater accuracy, you can glue the edges with a thin strip of self-adhesive paper in the color of the lampshade.

Restoration of the old lampshade does not take much time, and the result will delight all inhabitants of the house. There are a lot of variations on the theme: an old children's lamp with cartoon characters can be tugged over with a new cloth and an inscription or patterns can be sprayed through a stencil, in the bedroom you can make a starry sky with light, and a floor lamp in the living room can be decorated with butterflies.

Decorating with color pasta of interesting shapes (bows, shells, spirals) is suitable for decoration in the kitchen.The decoration looks originally with lace napkins, metal elements in the style of steampunk, paper flowers.

If the house has gone through global changes, it is worth changing the lamp to match the new style. Romantic light shades, floral prints, straw braids and lace ruffles will be appropriate in the style of Provence, industrial themes will support the modern interior, chrome surfaces and sharp shapes will perfectly fit into minimalism, techno and high-tech, luxuriously decorated with beads, pearls, beads, ribbon and Lace lampshades will find their place in historical interiors, while paper, bamboo, jute and other natural materials will appeal to lovers of national colors.

The design of an unusual lampshade with your own hands is one of those situations when treasures with mezzanines and old things from a balcony can gain a second life.Thus, colored patches of fabric and jewelry can turn into a boho-lamp shade, while coarse materials, metal and glass can become a decoration for an interior in a loft style.

A beautiful ceiling lampshade in the hall or bedroom can be made of lace, paper, large beads, to decorate a cotton base with fabric flowers. Kitchen theme support lamps from the old utensils, wine corks, cocktail straws, spoons, bottles. In the nursery, you can make lampshades from the halves of the globe, use wallpaper with stars to frame the lamp, decorate the room with bright small lamps in a fabulous oriental style.

An excellent solution for a floor lamp is a lampshade, crocheted, woven using macrame technique or made of openwork napkins. If there are no ready ones in the house, schemes for knitting will help to create the desired pattern.

Great idea for table lamps - painting with stained glass paints on glass, imitating Tiffany's corporate identity.

How to make a lamp shade of thread, you can see in more detail in the next video.