Period Lampshade Project

[Nigel Watts]

After stalking a number of antique chinese vases converted into lamp bases on auction websites - until now only to be astonished by what they sold for - I have finally landed one. I placed an absentee bid for it unseen based on photo and description only so I am not sure what to expect when it turns up. I have just seen on the web update that it went for less than my maximum, so barring an auctioneer error it should now be mine:

It is to go in my dark green wallpapered drawing room, which has yellow silk curtains and a sofa and chaise longue upholstered in yellow. I have already made two lampsahdes for this room in yellow silk, but I thought this one should be in something contrasting. I am thinking violet or pink, possibly patterned and probably pleated.

Any ideas gratefully received.

 

[Sonyaclegg]

As the vase is so decorative, and lovely, perhaps a pleated silk shade in a plain fabric?

 

[JoceAndChris]

What a gorgeous thing Nigel, well done! Wish you could have been with us in Loches last year and spoken with Monsieur Lancereau, abat-jourier par excellence - you'd have loved his shop, and I've never seen anything like it in the UK. You choose the size, shape, base colour and then the image, chosen from an archive of several hundred prints, is printed in Paris and then made up into the shade by him. I'll try to upload the small selection I have. I watched him at work and realised how very hard your last lampshade project was, and how good the result!

I think the quintessential colours of Chinoiserie are peach and jade combined. It's kind of there in that base, but more to orange from the looks of things. Orange against your dark green wallpaper would be nice.

I might be inclined to get samples of

http://www.marvictextiles.co.uk/moire-celeste-rosewood/

http://www.marvictextiles.co.uk/misa-moire-plain-teracotta/

http://www.fabricsandpapers.com/item/view/10388-Lyric-Curtain-Silk-Nectar/category/plain-silk-curtain-fabric

http://www.kingdominteriors.co.uk/catalogue/GPJBaker/fabrics/OrientalTree/13716

http://www.kingdominteriors.co.uk/catalogue/Mulberry/fabrics/WatercolourDamask/11591

 

[Nigel Watts]

Joce - thanks for the great suggestions.

I rather like the shade on a lamp I bid for several weeks ago (and which went for a staggering £2,500):

I think it may have been made from an old sari.

 

[Owain]

why not pick up the pale blue accents on the lamp?

yellow-green-blue all on the spectrum.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

i suggest pleated silk in as near to the background colour as possible in order to let the base speak for itself, it is lovely.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Funny how everyone has different ideas about colours. I often wonder if we read colours differently, so whilst orange leaps out to one person, pink has taken another?

That lamp that went for £2,500 (I would not like the responsibility of owning that with my two boisterous kittens!), it's gorgeous, and so's the shade, but I don't think the shade really goes with the base. I can see there's pink in the base but to me again the orange is dominant.

Having said that Chinoiserie things are often a bit clashing. My 1900 ish cabinet is dark blue with a silver and pink and purple silk interior!! I didn't like it to begin with but have got used to it.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Great suggestions - thanks everyone. When the vase turns up (the invoice has been emailed to me so I know it's mine now) and it's in situ I will look at all the options. Since decorating the room in dark green and lemon yellow I have been trying to introduce a bit more colour with cushions, the carpet etc:

The vase, which is about 18 inches tall - the current one is about 12 inches - , will sit on the table opposite the mantlepiece (after I have tidied it up). Above this currently are a couple of modern screenprints:

 

[Nigel Watts]

Funny how everyone has different ideas about colours... I don't think the shade really goes with the base

I rather agree, although the ensemble was put together by Robert Kime, one of Prince Charles's favourite decorators, who was selling off a large amount of his antique stock at Christie's South Ken. Kime still does modern repros. My pair of lamp metal lamp bases came from his shop and I have a wall light for my hall on order from him.

I was looking for a Famille Rose vase which I hoped would give me colours which I could work with. The one I have bought is far from the best example of its kind but I am reasonably confident it will work. On reflection, violet probably isn't right for mine. Orange or blue could be. The drapery the larger portrait has some blue in it and I could try picking that up.

 

[Nigel Watts]

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[jocelyn plummer]

.

Helllooo, are you there Nigel? Sudden blank?????

 

[LadyArowana]

I rather agree, although the ensemble was put together by Robert Kime, one of Prince Charles's favorite decorators

Everyone has a bad day now and again, I suppose it's just possible it was better if you saw it in real life and the photo was unflattering, but mainly it would be a "no" from me.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Sudden blank?????

I was trying to edit my post to correct some of my terrible typing but pressed the "quote" button by mistake, creating a new post. I have never worked out how to delete a post. If you try to blank everything using the "edit" button it won't let you save.

 

[LadyArowana]

This quote left intentionally blank

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[GhostyDog]

http://jpegy.com/images/uploads/2012/12/Fail-KFC-lampshade.jpg

Classic looks and nicely recycled...

 

[jocelyn plummer]

:lol: :lol: