Affordable Custom Lighting

Over the past year or two, I've gone crazy for printed lampshades.  I made a pleated pair for the guest room (in the same fabric as the headboard), then recovered them in a larger pattern (seen here), and finally added diagonal stripes to a dented shade on a clearance lamp.  While I find this to be a fairly simple DIY, not everyone wants to get out the spraymount and wrestle with hot glue and bias tape.  I hear you.

So I was delighted to discover that Lamps Plus now has a custom program.  I just lost the better part of an hour playing around with it to show you some of the (myriad) possibilities.

Super fun, right?  They have ceiling and wall fixtures as well as table and floor lamps and straight up lampshades in the most typical shapes and sizes.  You simply select your product, choose a pattern (or solid color), then go about editing the colors to suit your taste.  There is a grid of about two dozen "basic" colors, but you can also choose the "advanced" function and choose any color of the rainbow.  My major complaint is that the trim options are minimal--typically black, white, cream, brown, and tan, though it varies from shade to shade, and every lamp is trimmed out this way.

I also found that the patterns, shapes, and colors read mostly contemporary--many of today's trendy patterns are represented, including chevron, stripes, dots, trellis, and greek key--though I managed to finagle a couple with a more trad vibe.

Prices ranged from about $60 for a good sized lampshade to a couple hundred for a floor lamp, with most of the fixtures pictured here in the $100-$150 range.  To be clear, I have not ordered one of these and can't attest to the quality.

To get started, go here.  Want to see details on my creations above?  Click here.

And no, lamps plus had nothing to do with this post--I'm excited by this custom option and thought you might be, too!

Have fun!