LAMP SHADES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIII, Issue VIII, 25 August 1894, Page 190

LAMP SHADES.

' s an °pen question whether V'HL 1L C^e household of olden days did not derive more solid comfort from old-fashioned O ? cookery than the present day derive from the contem'S J'-'J Potion of elaborate table j J *>'/ centres, candle shades, and 4 S 1 general Japanese ‘ effect,’ tiT )ff the attainment of which •trjp&H. seems to have taken the jJgT. place of the more ordinary acquirements of‘baking and t. X/W J brewing.’ However, we must /] take such fashions as we find them, and the craze for over (O* ornamentation as best we ’ “ can. If it only were orna-

mentation, instead of cheap tawdriness, as it is only too frequently! 1 sometimes wonder if we have a greater liking for imitation than any other nation. Certainly it was an Englishman who was so delighted with mosaic flooring because * you couldn’t tell it from a linoleum.’ ‘I wish,’said a friend of mine plaintively, * that someone would invent a lamp shade that would keep clean.’ The fact is, if our rooms are to look at all dainty, lamp shades have to be renewed very frequently. Accordion pleated silk, which can be obtained by the yard in nearly any width, comes in very handy for this purpose. It is used for the one in my sketch ; deep salmon pink in the daytime, it is of the loveliest rosy hue when lit up. The lace is of the same shade, and the trails of Virginia creeper light up well and tone in with the warm background, while the robin perched amongst them gives a seasonable touch. Another very pretty way to treat lampshades is to have a foundation the same as this one, and sew over it • butterfly ’ bows of ac-cordion-pleated silk single and shaped like wings, the effect is particularly good if the bows are multi-coloured, for when lit up it really looks as if a flight of butterflies had come to a halt on the lampshade. I have seen real butterflies when mounted used in this way, but they require such careful treatment that the shade is only likely to be used on high days and holidays. It is a moot point still whether lampshades should be considered in the light of permanent decorations, and retained in the room during the day time. Personally I am of the

opinion that they always have an objectionable gilt and tinselled effect, but then again in limited space comes the difficulty of knowing where to store them —they certainly are the most cumbersome of possessions to put away carefully. One thing is certain, if they are to be en evidence in daylight, they require to be irreproachably clean, and the materials used of the best.