Tapered drum lampshades have been very popular at gilhoolie lately. Either restoration of an existing lampshade (as it's hard to find a replacement of the same dimensions) or made from scratch using a template. I particularly like restoring a client's tapered drum lampshade - it's always a happy feeling when I roll it along the... Continue Reading →
I have always loved Harris Tweed so was delighted when a client in Birmingham asked me to use some to make two very big and two small lampshades to fit bases they had purchased from Loaf.com. The fabric is about as thick as you'd want to go for a lampshade (you really need to consider... Continue Reading →
I'm at home with Arthur puppy today (just a bit poorly after a minor op). So I have finished off some lampshades for clients, but otherwise I plan to generally take it easy myself too (which is very rare!) I feel very lucky that I have the flexibility to be able to do what I... Continue Reading →
Restoring a treasured lampshade for a client has to be one of the best things I get to do at gilhoolie. Jules from Flackwell Heath had two 1960s, very unusual shaped lampshades that her mum had bought many years ago. They were looking very sorry for themselves but still in use by Jules. The lampshades... Continue Reading →
As I live on a main road I thought it would be a good idea (and excellent, free advertising!) to put a sign on my front wall, telling passers by about gilhoolie.
Finally, after lots of deliberating on the general design and size, it went up at the weekend. Yay! It should probably be bigger but it's a start, and all those people waiting in traffic outside might glance sideways and see it...
My work often comes from clients who have searched for lampshade makers online but I also regularly take orders from local interior designers. Annabel Smith owns a small interiors shop in Wooburn Green which is where I first met her a few years ago. I've been making lampshades to go in her home and for her projects ever since. It's always exciting to see what fabric Annabel has sourced from her travels to be made into a lampshade.
This week I thought I’d share with you a few photos of the lovely lampshades I have made recently. I’m afraid the picture quality isn’t great; I don’t usually have time for a proper photo shoot before posting them off or handing them over to clients! I really should though as they look much better in real life…
I was contacted last year by a lady who was interested in having a lampshade made from images of record sleeves. I must admit I was a little confused about the concept at first but it all made sense after a bit of a chat. It was to be displayed at an exhibition in London on... Continue Reading →
Lampshade making is not always easy. Mostly because they come in all shapes and sizes; not just the simple, straightforward drum shape. Sometimes a client has an existing lampshade they want recovering and sometimes they just have a frame that they want to see transformed into a beautiful light source. [Recovering, by the way, isn't... Continue Reading →
