Brighten your décor with lamps and shades

Improving lighting in a home can be as involved as bringing in a lighting designer or as simple as heading to a hardware store for a dimmer.

For those looking for minimal change, yet wanting a fresh look, changing a lampshade is one way to add another design element to a room.

Floor and table lamps create a cozy mood that can be enhanced by simply plugging the lamp into affordable dimmers that plug into the wall, available at most hardware stores.

"The room will feel a little warmer, cozy because you want to go sit next to that lamp and curl up," said Jeff Boone, a lighting consultant and manager at Lamps Plus in Bellevue. "If it's brightly lit, it will feel like activity."

And interesting lampshades are widely available at discount and high-end stores.

Measure before you buy

But before you pick a shade out solely for its looks, make sure you head out with the right information. A designer already figured out the proportions for your current lampshade, so you should adhere fairly closely to what is already in place, said Taisa Djakow, showroom manager at Alexander Lighting in Seattle.

Lampshade designer Jil Smith recommends:

• Measure the diameter of the top and bottom, and the height of the current lampshade. Also measure the drop, which is the vertical distance from the shade to where the finial screws in.

• The harp (the supporting structure) is removable for most lamps. Harps should center the shade over the light bulb.

Boone suggests:

• If using the lamp as a reading light, the shade's bottom should be wide enough to cast light over a book. The bottom of the lamp should also sit around eye and shoulder level when you're seated.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com