Lampshades

Lampshades for Interior Designers

A lot of my lampshade orders come from clients who find me on Google searches but I also have a few local Interior Designers and curtain makers that have been ordering from me since I started gilhoolie. It works really well and I love having a relationship with them (must try and grow this in 2021!) – I can advise them on fabrics as well as shapes and sizes of lampshades (see my guidelines if you need help with this). It’s also a great way for them to use up spare fabric that would otherwise go to waste or sit gathering dust in their workshops.

2020 has been a strange year but I have felt blessed that many people have taken this time to update their homes by ordering bespoke lampshades. The gilhoolie Design Assistance service that was going so well up until Covid has suffered a lot as designers have cut back but I hope that will pick up again sometime next year.

Anyway, I thought I’d share with you some of the orders from Interior Designers this year and give them a little mention at the same time. The main orders have been from Niki Schafer, Samantha Johnson and The Silk Road, thank you to all of them! And thank you to Sarah Wooldridge who lives along my road and is very kind helping with ordering fabric and samples for my clients, I really appreciate it!

If you are an interior designer who would like to discuss ordering bespoke lampshades with gilhoolie do get in touch, I’d love to hear from you…

gilhoolie gets out

Spring Fair 2020 at the NEC

At the beginning of February I had the opportunity to visit the Spring Fair at the NEC with an Interior Designer based in Henley-on-Thames, Niki Schäfer. It was a great chance to see some of the latest trends in interior design and to get an insight into Niki’s fabulous work.

I have always had a passion for interior design and would much rather shop for my house than for my wardrobe (although I quite like that too, for a short amount of time and I have to be in the right frame of mind). I’m also incredibly lucky that I loved my house the moment stepped foot inside and haven’t had to work too hard to make it feel special and homely. All the original features were still there (thank goodness). It definitely has a very cohesive look as you walk from room to room which isn’t something I have done deliberately, it has just evolved over the years. I’m one of those people who only buys things if I really love it and can see myself loving it for years to come (read wholesaler’s nightmare!)

I definitely feel the same way as William Morris, who said:

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

Anyway, back to Spring Fair 2020 at the NEC… Below are a few of the items I spotted as I wandered up and done the aisles, trying not to get lost. Some because they stood out (definite jungle and botanical theme in the air) and others because I could see myself buying them for my home. It’s all a bit random as there was so much to take in but I wanted to summarise it all on here.

See links below for more details. Enjoy!

From left to right:

Dark green pendant light from Light & Living, Melun hanging flowerpot from Chic Antique, hammered glass wine glasses from Nkuku, gorgeous simple wine carafe from Garden Trading, Protea flower print from Vanilla Fly at Amara Living, Protea wallpaper from Emma Shipley, Matamba ceramic hanging planters from Nkuku, Bequai open jewellery box from Nkuku and Beru rattan lampshades from Nkuku.