And when you DIY, you have the power to control the design details - like the pattern, color and size - so you can make a lampshade that perfectly matches your home's decor.
All it takes is a little bit of creativity, some lampshade-making materials, and an hour of your time to make a totally unique drum lampshade that you can be proud of.
Look at other lampshades to get your creative juices flowing. These 16 DIY lampshades were all made with supplies from our store.
You can make a lampshade in any size you want! Our tutorial on how to measure your lamp to find the perfect-sized shade can help you decide.
Light-medium weight cottons are the easiest to work with, but if you're an experienced DIY-er, the options are endless!
You likely already have the basic tools required to make a lampshade in your home. Read on to find out exactly what you need.
A rotary cutter and a cutting mat will make the process easier, but are not completely necessary. They’ll help you trim down your lampshade fabric and styrene more quickly and accurately, but most people do just fine with regular old scissors.
And when you DIY, you have the power to control the design details - like the pattern, color and size - so you can make a lampshade that perfectly matches your home's decor.
All it takes is a little bit of creativity, some lampshade-making materials, and an hour of your time to make a totally unique drum lampshade that you can be proud of.
You'll need one plain ring and one ring with a fitter for attaching to your lamp. We sell Euro + Spider-Washer fitter rings in our store.
Styrene is the type of material that most high-quality lampshades are made out of. It has a sticky backing that adheres to your fabric.
Tacky lampshade glue, a moulding stick and binder clips will help you achieve that 'professionally made' lampshade look.
Cotton fabrics are the easiest to work with, as they stick well to the adhesive styrene + tacky lampshade glue. But if you want to get more creative, there are plenty of other interesting fabrics and materials you can make a lampshade with. Read this blog post for inspiration!
Get your DIY lampshade supplies in as little as two days and start making a unique lampshade that fits your home's decor perfectly.
So you've already visited our lampshade sizing page and have determined the final size of lampshade that you want to make. Now it's time to determine what length and height of styrene you need, as well as what diameter of rings you need.
To choose your lampshade rings, simply select rings that match your chosen diameter. If you want your shade to be 10” wide, choose rings with a 10” diameter. Next, determine how your shade attaches to your lamp, and select the right lampshade ring fitter for your project. We offer the standard US Style Spider-Washer rings, as well as Euro / Uno style rings, which are great for lamps from IKEA.
To choose your styrene, you'll need to consider these 2 dimensions: height and length. The height is simply the height that you wish your lampshade to be. The length can be calculated using this easy-as-pie (no pun intended!) formula:
For example, if your lampshade diameter is going to be 10", your adhesive styrene should be 32" long (= 10 x 3.14 +1 = 32.4, rounded down to 32"). In this case, you would buy our 40" Styrene sheet and cut it down to 32".
Get your DIY lampshade supplies in as little as two days and start making a unique lampshade that fits your home's decor perfectly.
When your materials arrive, it’s time to start making. Watch our video tutorial to see the step-by-step process of making a lampshade.
Receiving pictures of our customers' finished projects is our very favourite thing! Seeing the creative twists that people put on their lampshades makes us jump around and dance! So every month, we choose one lucky customer and reward them with a FREE PRODUCT from our store.
Simply tag your project on Instagram with @ilikethatlamp, post a photo to our Facebook page, OR send us an email directly to: hello@ilikethatlamp.com. We can't wait to see what you came up with!
For beginners, we’ve found that the best material to use is plain cotton. It sticks well to the adhesive styrene, as well as the lampshade glue.
But if you want to get more creative, there are plenty of other interesting fabrics and materials you can make a lampshade with! Some of our favorites include wood veneer, fancy papers and tactile materials.
When your materials arrive, it’s time to start making! We have many tutorials and videos on our blog on how to do this. Here's one of our favourites:
Seeing our customers' finished projects is our very favourite thing! It makes us jump around and dance to see the creative twists that folks put on their lampshades, and we often share them with our newsletter subscribers and followers on social media. Tag your project on Instagram with @ilikethatlamp, post a photo to our Facebook page, or send us an email directly to: hello@ilikethatlamp.com.
We still sell all of the same lampshade making supplies that we used to. In the past, we sold them in all-in-one kits that included all of the materials in a single box presentation. We've since decided to deconstruct the kit and offer each piece individually. This way, you're free to mix & match so you get the exact size components that will work best for you, instead of adhering to the height and diameter dimensions that we had previously decided on. Not offering all of the supplies in a kit format gives you even more freedom to make a unique lampshade that you'll love.
Though drum lampshades are the simplest shape to start with, it is possible to make a tapered lampshade using a similar technique and the same materials. Here are links to some tutorials on making tapered lampshades, and panel style lampshades.
Take the easy route and buy your styrene, lampshade rings and tacky lampshade glue right here in our store today!
