Goldi-lamp

When it comes to lamp shades, are there really any rules? What size and shape really makes the difference?

I decided to do a little experiment and find out. We desperately needed a floor lamp in our living room by our new couch, so I brought down the one from our upstairs reading nook and gave it a makeover.

Here's what it looked like.



Try to ignore the crooked-ness, I was going to fix that during the makeover process. Armed with Krylon's Oil Rubbed Bronze rattle can, I gave the painted-white-brass-lamp a new look in less than 10 minutes.



There was a problem though-the lamp shade looked awkward. I wasn't sold on it, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Finally it occurred to me that it seemed just a little too short. Isn't the shade supposed to cover the switch apparatus?



This faux leather shade was neat, but just a little bit long. I felt it was overpowering the swing arm feature, and the exaggerated bell shape was a bit too much.

Ah, just right.

The length is a little shorter than option #2, and the shape is more streamlined. I think this is the best fit (and also cheaper!), but what do you think? Hurry up before I take the plastic off!