How To Embellish Lamp Shades

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Have you ever considered embellishing lampshades to decorate your home?

An ordinary lampshade can become something special with a little creativity, a few inexpensive supplies, and a willingness to experiment.

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Instead of purchasing a new lamp, consider giving the shade you already own a fresh look with fabric, ribbon, lace, decorative trim, or even small vintage-inspired embellishments.

DIY lampshade decorating is a wonderful way to add personality to your home.

Whether you love cottagecore, granny chic, vintage decorating, or a cozy collected-over-time look, a simple shade can become a charming accent that feels uniquely yours.

6 Creative Ways to Embellish a Lampshade

Ribbon is one of the easiest ways to transform a plain lampshade.

Glue a narrow ribbon around the top and bottom edges, or add a wider velvet band for a richer look. Pom-pom fringe, tassel trim, and tiny ruffles can create a playful, old-fashioned style.

Vintage lace, crocheted edging, and delicate doily-inspired patterns can lend a lampshade a nostalgic, heirloom quality.

Try a narrow lace border or a decorative band rather than covering every inch. This works particularly well with cream, ivory, and soft pastel shades.

Gather a strip of lightweight fabric or ribbon into soft pleats and attach it around the shade’s lower edge.

You can also add two layers of contrasting fabric for a fuller, skirt-like effect. A small floral print paired with cream trim looks especially charming.

A plain fabric shade can become a canvas for delicate flowers, leafy vines, small stars, or geometric patterns.

Use paint designed for the shade’s material, test it on an inconspicuous area, and apply thin layers to avoid stiffening the fabric.

A fringe border can make a simple lampshade look like a treasured antique-store find.

Choose cotton fringe for a relaxed appearance or a fine beaded trim for a more elegant touch. Keep embellishments securely attached and well away from the bulb and hot surfaces.

An Embellished Lampshade I Made

Below is a lampshade that I embellished years ago.

I started with a plain white lampshade. Then I began adding linens from my linen basket. I overlapped the linens and hot-glued them onto the lampshade.

Then I began adding smaller embellishments, such as vintage crocheted doilies, fabric yo-yos, and vintage gloves.

The result was quite interesting and just what I was going for with this lampshade embellishment project!

Supplies You May Need

You don’t need to buy everything. Choose supplies based on the look you want.

• A plain lampshade in good condition
• Fabric scraps, ribbon, lace, or trim
• Measuring tape and scissors
• Paper for making patterns
• Fabric-safe or lampshade-compatible adhesive
• Stencils and suitable paint, if desired
• Clips or pins for temporarily positioning trim

A Simple DIY Project: Embellish a Lampshade with Ribbon

This is a lovely beginner project because it doesn’t require sewing or removing the original shade.

1. Choose your ribbon. Select velvet, grosgrain, cotton, or a small floral ribbon that complements your room.
2. Measure the shade. Measure the circumference at the top and bottom, since these may be different sizes.
3. Cut the ribbon. Add a little extra length for neat ends and a good fit.
4. Position the trim. Wrap the ribbon around the shade before gluing to check its placement and alignment.
5. Attach it carefully. Use an adhesive compatible with the lampshade material, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Allow it to dry fully. Keep the lamp unplugged during the project and until the adhesive has completely cured.

Styles of Lampshades to DIY

To embellish your lampshade for granny chic style, use cheerful florals, colorful piping, gathered edges, and playful combinations of old-fashioned patterns.

For a cozy minimalist lampshade, use natural linen, a narrow neutral border, or one understated band of textured fabric.

To DIY a romantic vintage lampshade, use ivory lace, subtle pleats, delicate fringe, and muted rose or dusty blue accents.

A Few Important Lampshade Safety Tips

• Always unplug the lamp before decorating.
• Use materials and adhesives rated as suitable for lampshades and their operating temperatures.
• Keep embellishments away from

Transfer Lampshade

Christy from Confessions of a Serial DIYer created this floral lampshade by using a Meet Me In The Garden transfer from Redesign.

Washi Tape Lampshade

As The Bunny Hops created this washi tape lampshade. They cut washi tape and added it to the lampshade until the entire shade was covered.

White Rose Lampshade

The blogger at The Heathered Nest created this lampshade by cutting white fabric into circles of varying sizes. Then she shaped them into a rose with her fingers and hot-glued them on one at a time.

Pleated Fabric Lampshade

The blogger at This House Becomes a Home created this pleated fabric lampshade. She carefully ironed both sides of the fabric strips she cut, then hot-glued them to the lampshade, overlapping them.

Linens & Doilies Lampshade

I found this lampshade on Pinterest, and unfortunately there was no source to link to. But it was so beautiful, I wanted to show it anyway. It was made much like mine was, by overlapping vintage linens and adding other embellishments.

Fabric, Cross-Stitched, & Paper Lampshade

This blogger has a blog in a foreign language, but it is translated into English. She created her lampshades with paper, fabric, and embroidery yarn to make them beautiful.

Colorful Fabric Lampshade

The blogger at Place of My Taste created this colorful fabric lampshade. You could use fabric or wallpaper for this project. Or if you are creative with art, you could even paint the lampshade yourself.

Doily Lamp Shade

This blogger created this elegant lampshade using vintage doilies. This is a great way to display the doilies you’ve collected over time and have tucked away for safekeeping.

Decoupaged Lamp Shade

This lampshade was found at BHG. The decoupaged lampshade was DIYed with cut-out shapes of watercolor fabric, which were then decoupaged onto the shade.

Ruffled Burlap Shade

The blogger at Cottage at the Crossroads created this burlap lampshade. It is lovely with layered pieces of burlap adorning the lampshade.

Felt Lamp Shade

The blogger at Pillar Box Blue created this embellished lampshade project with felt. The DIYer used the templates’ shapes to trace them onto felt.

The blogger says to download the templates and print them off, resizing them as you desire. She traced the shape onto the felt with an embroidery marker pen.

Fabric Or Wallpaper Lampshade

This lampshade embellishment project comes from House Beautiful.

You could use fabric or wallpaper for this lampshade, whichever you prefer. Then attach it with glue. A black ribbon accents the bottom of the shade, adding a bit more frill.

DIY Photo Lamp

The blogger at Mommy Moment created this lampshade with photos.

Maybe you would like to display photos of family or friends, but have run out of surfaces to place framed photos. This idea will let you display quite a few images at once.

Why You Should Embellish a Lamp Shade

You can create a unique lampshade that no one else will have because you made it yourself. And it will be a beautiful addition to a room in your home.

There are many ways to embellish lampshades and make them look special. I have used lace, embroidered linens, and ribbon. It was a fun DIY, and I loved the result!