It’s not easy finding antique fabrics for lampshades. Often, the textiles I come across are too original and too rare to cut. Despite the temptation, I can’t bring myself to do it. Occasionally, however, I come across a beautiful piece that has lost the ability to function as it’s original purpose intended: perhaps the ends are frayed, the dyes have faded, or it’s had a repair to the main field that turns-off the academic collectors. In a lot of these cases, these textiles are thrown to the back of chests of drawers and cupboards with their owners not appreciating their time-softened beauty. These are the textiles I look for.

When I find the the right piece, the careful work of making begins - led more by instinct than instruction. Each shade is hand-sewn in England, with the shape dictated by the weave and weight of the textile - heavier fabrics, such as Kashmiri wools, suit looser, more relaxed gathers, finer ones something tighter and more structured. We then line each shade in the finest silk, cotton, or linen, depending on what partners the outer cloth best.

The result is something beautiful - a glow that feels softened by time and shaped by hand.

Words: Will Green