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One of the easiest ways to accent your décor is with decorative lampshades. Everyone uses lamps for lighting in almost all of the rooms in their home. If you want to add a little interest, or if you are just tired of boring white lampshades, a decorative shade may be just what you need.

You Can Buy, but You Don’t Have Too:

There are many beautiful choices available for sale both online and in stores. However, for some of us this may be a little cost prohibitive, as they can be very expensive depending on the style you choose. If you don’t mind putting in a little creative effort and you have the time to search around your home for interesting decorative elements, you can make beautiful one of a kind lampshades that perfectly suit your individual personality.

For a Child’s Room:

In a child’s room, lampshades can be decorated in any number of ways. For girls, buttons, ribbons and bows may be sewn or hot glued to existing lampshades. Cotton material, such as P Kaufmann fabrics in a themed print can be glued, sewn or made into a slip on cover for a lampshade. Slip-on covers are great for kids, since they can be removed for washing. All they need is elastic attached at the top and bottom. These covers are best made from washable cotton material.

For Any Room:

Satin, velvet Kravet fabric and gross grain ribbons make a great lampshade covering that can work for any room. Simply hot glue one end on the inside top of the lampshade and completely cover it by wrapping top to bottom and overlapping the edges of the ribbon with the next round. Hot glue the final end on the backside of the lampshade either at the top or bottom. This is an easy to apply treatment that is also easy to remove and the color and texture can be changed easily at any time by changing the ribbon.

Purchased leftover upholstery braid, fringe and tassels can also be hot glued around the top, the bottom or up and down the seams of the shade. If you are a little more adventurous and want something a little more intricate you can embroider the existing shade or bead it with glass beads. For a little less glitz, you can also make a fringe around the bottom of the shade by stringing beads to whatever length you prefer and attaching them around the bottom edge with needle and thread. (Or you can try doing the top and bottom edges.)

Paints?

Fabric paint is another option if you are an artistic type. You can also applique designs on to the lampshade. Jute twine, embroidery thread or knitting yarn can be hot glued on in interesting raised designs as simple or elaborate as you like. If you put on your thinking cap, there is no telling what kind of designs you can come up with.

The bottom line is, before you throw it away or buy a new lampshade, look around and see what you might find right in your own home that will turn that old lampshade into an entirely new lamp accessory for practically no cost at all.

Paula Morris-Dungan attended Art Institute of Pittsburg for Residential Space Planning and Interior Design. She is a full-time freelance writer who writes for blogs about various topics including paint, funiture upholstery and outdoor fabric (including Duralee fabrics, Kravet fabrics, and P Kaufmann fabrics), and interior design in general.