Technical
Frames, Fasteners
Coverings and Finishes
Each lampshade is an assembly of several elements: a metal structure equipped with a fixing system called a lampshade frame, an outer covering, a lining and a finish.
1. Frames
6. Finishings
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The frames are the metal structures on which the lampshade covering is glued or sewn. Made to measure in copper-plated or painted steel wire, their shapes and dimensions are limitless.
Here are some common shapes and their names (in French):
Classic shapes - Cylinders, cones, rectangles, ovals, squares, domes, pagodas...
Fancy shapes - Alongside the classics, there are many unusual or extravagant shapes: tulip, flower, star, prism, Victorian, asymmetrical, organic, etc.
Hard-back lampshade frame - It is often limited to a simple set of circles, squares, ovals, rectangles, etc. It is not the metal structure, but the rigid material from which the lampshade is made, PVC or cardboard, which makes it stand up.
Soft lampshade frame - Unlike the previous one, it requires a complete structure, in other words, a three-dimensional frame, comprising between six and twelve connecting branches between the top and the bottom. These frames take multiple forms, often sinuous, convex, concave, with multiple panels in the spirit of Tiffany lamps.
Ornaments - Collars, headbands, festoons, gadroons, hollow sides, cut sides, raised corners... They embellish the frames used alone or combined. Ornaments give character to the lampshade, allow you to play with fabrics, materials, prints, transparencies, highlight the finishes.
Diffuser trays - Diffusers complete the frame and are used to filter the light from the bulbs or LED diodes placed in the pendants. They are useful and decorative. A full diffuser completely closes the bottom of the lampshade. A partial diffuser lets a little light filter through.
Sockets are in most cases used to fix both the bulb and the lampshade.
The lampshade fixing ring
Welded onto the frame, the ring is an integral part of the metal frame of the lampshade. It allows the lampshade to be placed on the lamp socket.
The following fixing rings are distinguished:
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E27 rings which have a hole of ø40mm. They are suitable for large sockets (E27 bulbs with large bases). These are the most common rings.
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E14 rings with a ø27mm hole are only suitable for small sockets (E14 bulbs with small bases or B22 bayonet bulbs).
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Edison rings with a ø31mm hole are reserved for "vintage" sockets that still equip many lamps from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Instead of being flat, the Edison ring generally has a groove. Edison sockets are easily recognizable by their upper part made of bakelite or porcelain.
The return of the ring
The inset (R) of the ring indicates its position more or less in the metal frame. At its lowest, the ring is at the level of the bottom of the lampshade, (AN = inset level). At its highest, it can be inset by R 100mm or more, depending on the size of the lampshade. In general, the inset of the ring varies between R 30mm and R 60mm.
The tuck allows you to position the bottom of the lampshade higher or lower on the lamp base. The more the ring is tucked into the lampshade, the lower the lampshade will go and hide the top of the lamp base, the socket and the bulb. This is desirable when the lamp is placed high up.
Conversely, for the lampshade of a lamp placed on the floor or a coffee table, the inset will be low or even at the level of the bottom of the lampshade (AN). This process allows the lampshade to be raised as much as possible on the base and to visually expose its entirety.
Fastening systems
The attachment is what allows the lampshade to be held on the lamp (table lamp, floor lamp, chandelier, wall lights) or on the ceiling (ceiling light and pendant lights). Knowing how to designate it when requesting a quote or placing an order helps avoid errors that would make the lampshade unusable on the lamp base.
There are many types of table lamp mounts. Here are the most common ones:
DBB fixing - Ring (E27/E14/Edison) welded on the lower part of the carcass. This is a DBB fixing: low base socket. This is the standard fixing from VdeV CREATION.
DBV fixing - Ring (E27/E14/Edison) located at the bottom of the lampshade but starting in a V shape from the top of the carcass. This is a DBV attachment: V-shaped base socket.
DBH fixing - Ring (E27/E14/Edison) welded on the upper part of the carcass. For pendants and reading lights. This is a DBH fixing: high base socket.
LYRE fixing - Small washer of about ø10mm welded on the upper part of the carcass. Very common in Italy, GB and USA. This is a lyre fixing.
RAIL fixing - Circle (or a double circle) of +/- ø200mm welded on the upper part of the carcass. This circle fits onto a metal, opaline or white plastic bowl called a reflector. Inside the bowl is a bulb directed towards the ceiling. Under the bowl there are generally three bulbs mounted in a feeder. The Rail system is generally used on floor lamps and large table lamps.
Round clamp (PR ) - Round clamp welded to the top of the lampshade. This is a ball clamp attachment for small or large round bulbs. Indicate PB or PB+.
Flame clamp (PF) - Oval clamp welded to the top of the lampshade. This is a flame clamp attachment for small, elongated bulbs.
Oil clamp (PP) - Small circle with three metal legs welded to the upper part of the frame. Fixing dedicated to electrified oil lamps which allows to combine lampshade and traditional glass tube. This is a oil fixing.
Fixing system for suspensions
Hanging lampshades can be attached to the ceiling in several ways:
Electrical cable - By a simple textile cable for light lampshades. These pendants are inexpensive and full of fantasy. Textile cables are available in hundreds of colors and finishes.
Steel cable - By one or more adjustable steel cables. A discreet and designer attachment well suited to large lampshades.
Rigid rod - By a rigid rod adjustable in height in brass or in chromed or blackened steel.
Metal chain - By a metal chain (epoxy or metal finish) whose links allow the height positioning of the light fixture to be easily adjusted.
Hard-back lampshades are made with a rigid material that can be PVC or cardboard. On the front side, the covering is a fabric, paper or other decorative material. On the back side, the lining is generally white and uniform to diffuse and reflect the light as best as possible. Both sides are assembled by hand in the workshop or laminated in a factory.
Dressing hard-back lampshades
This is the face of the hard-back lampshade, the one that is seen and creates the visual impact in an interior decoration. Hard-back lampshades are dressed in a multitude of materials, from the finest to the most rustic.
Textiles - Natural fabrics (silks, cottons, linens, viscose, etc.), synthetic, plain, printed, smooth or textured...
Papers - Japanese, handmade, watercolor, wallpapers, pleated, marbled, watercolored, lacquered…
“Effect” plastics - Mesh, one-way mirror, metal, prism, bottle bottom...
Natural materials - Wood, cork, plant fibers, leather, feathers, horsehair, fiberglass...
The lining of hard-back lampshades
This is the back side, the inside of the rigid lampshade. Made of cardboard or rigid plastic (PVC, polyester, polycarbonate), it ensures the volume of the lampshade is maintained.
They are usually white, translucent or opaque. However, there are also transparent, beige, gold, silver, bronze interiors… Choosing the right lining is important because the lampshade will diffuse a very different light from one interior to another, completely changing the atmosphere of a space.
The workshop offers around twenty linings, including, for example, four different gold finishes: matte finish, shiny finish, hammered finish and… to order, the ultimate, gold leaf!
The inside of rigid lampshades can also be made of fabric, paper or plastic, matching or not the exterior covering. A must for hanging lampshades (pendants, ceiling lights), whose interior is as visible as the exterior.
The preferred material for soft lampshades is textile, and in particular silk.
Dressing up soft lampshades
There are many textiles that lend themselves to the making of soft lampshades: cotton, viscose or linen voiles, chintz, percales, Liberty, polyesters... but, of all the fabrics, the one that best suits these luxurious lampshades is SILK: in particular silk crepes, silk satins, silk ponge, silk muslin, silk twills, silk dupion...
Fine and supple fabrics are suitable for making pleats, gathers or other drapes. As they say in haute couture, we work here with "the blur". Lampshades made of stretched fabric require slightly heavier fabrics, malleable and able to withstand high tensions.
Regardless of the shaping (pleated or stretched fabric), a soft lampshade is always sewn entirely by hand and requires precision, technique and a lot of patience. In other words: a lot of time.
Worked on the bias or pleated in triple thickness, doubled, then edged with bias, these lampshades also require significant lengths of fabric (generally silk). Their price is accordingly!
The lining of soft lampshades
Soft lampshades are generally lined with a light silk or polyester fabric, white, ecru, flesh or champagne in order to optimize the diffusion of light. Just like the covering, the lining is made and sewn by hand.
Parchment and real bladder, dressings in the process of disappearing.
These coverings have now almost disappeared from the market due to the lack of craftsmen who know how to work them and because plastic materials have gradually replaced natural materials of animal origin. Their manufacture follows specific techniques that have long been an integral part of the lampshade maker's trade.
As craftsmen, VdeV CREATION is committed to ensuring that these skills continue. They belong to our cultural heritage and, as such, deserve to be protected. Our parchment and bladder lampshades are entirely hand-sewn. They are not stapled!
Warning: these lampshades are fragile and expensive. Hyper-tight on their frame, like the skin of a drum, they do not withstand shocks and excessive dryness which can lead to irreparable tears, especially at the seams or lacing.
Parchment - The workshop uses top quality sheep, calf or goat parchment, free as far as possible from defects, tending towards light cream or tinted. Parchment is a noble and luxurious material that man has used since prehistoric times (drums). It is obtained by transforming an animal skin from which the fur is removed and from which only the dermis is preserved. This transformation goes through many stages that can require up to 45 days of preparation and a lot of know-how.
Bladder - Bladder is another natural material that has long been prized by lampshade manufacturers because of its transparency. More fragile, because it is thinner than parchment, it is also more translucent than parchment and diffuses a soft, golden light. The workshop uses ox bladders.
Lining - This type of lampshade is not lined.
For the lampshade maker, the finish marks the end of the work and the time for satisfaction. The simple fact of "rolling" the fabric on the frame - the simplest of finishes - is enough to change everything!
The finishes are innumerable in types, styles, colors, textures and… prices! In this matter, discretion and restraint compete with audacity and extravagance.
Decorator finish - Reversed fabric: clean, chic and understated, which can only be achieved by hand.
Simple finishes - Woven or paper band, grosgrain, braid, soutache, cord, fringe, lizard, crest...
Sewing finishes - Sewing bias, piping, luxury trimmings, egret, ruche, flounce, smocking, draping, pinch pleats, flat pleats, hollow pleats...
Fancy finishes - Feathers, tassels, pearls, shells, bells, fur...
Special finishes - Raised quilting, lacing, cutting, gluing, transfers...
Various trimmings - Pompoms, tassels, cartisanes, macaroons, buttons, bows,
cockades…
Watercolor work - The transparency of watercolor is particularly well suited to making lampshades and diffuses magnificent lighting.
