Meet the Makers, part three and next up is the lovely Fenella from Fenella Design
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What first sparked your love of lampshades?
The beautiful vibrant colours of ikats and the butterfly-wing silk of saris.
They are so versatile- they can add the final “garnish” to a space or can be the main feature . -
We would love at least one ‘failsafe’ tip for our clients when choosing the correct size of lampshade?
The simplest is to match the width of the base with the height of the lamp but I think it always best to trust your eye - go for whatever YOU like the look of! -
What is the most important element to choosing the fabric for your lampshades?
Obviously the fabrics need to be fire safe but I ensure they diffuse light well and are “gatherable” - I am not very good at greys and beiges, so my go-to fabrics will always be colourful, nature inspiredand joyous . -
We would love a recommendation of something to read, a book or blog or even a podcast to listen to, as we fell escapism is more important than ever at the moment?
There are so many wonderful Interiors books but I love Kit Kemps Design Thread and Ben Pentreath’s English Houses . -
What is the first thing you plan to do as soon as the lockdown is lifted?
Go out for dinner, I can’t wait for someone else to cook !!! There are 6 of us at home and that’s a lot of cooking xxxxx
Thank you so much Fenella we absolute adore your shades and can’t wait to invest in one.
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What first sparked your love of lampshades?
It was actually Jane from Jane Newbery in Dulwich Village. She had offered me my first solo show of paintings when I changed career to become an artist a few years ago and after it was a big success she suggested that one of my paintings (Welsh Reflection) would make a fantastic lampshade. It then took me two years to work out how to actually make a lampshade! But once I’d got the hang of it I got the bug and launched my first samples at the Dulwich Artists’ Open House 6 years ago. -
We would love at least one ‘failsafe’ tip for our clients when choosing the correct size of lampshade?
Well for ceiling pendants, I would go as big as you can. The biggest mistake I see in interiors is choosing a lampshade for the ceiling that’s too small. In general, the bigger you go the bigger your room will seem, even if it’s actually quite a small room.For table lamps the most important thing is that the shade is in proportion to the base and it certainly needs to be at least the same width, if not wider than the widest part of the base. You need to think what silhouette you want - tall and slim, or more rounded.
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What is the most important element to choosing the fabric for your lampshades?
It’s hard to choose one element, as they are all important! So I’m giving you three that you need to balance. First of all, colour - you have to remember that the darker the shade, the less light will be emitted, so if you want the shade to actually provide workable light you need at least some parts of the fabric to have lighter elements in it (the whole thing doesn’t have to be light). Then there’s the texture - you need to make a specific decision about using your shades to either balance or contrast with the other textures in the room. Finally, there's the type of fabric - remember natural fabrics like cotton and silk are more likely to fade in direct sunlight over time, so if you are placing your shade near a window, then look for one made with a synthetic fabric. I’m gradually moving all my shades over to synthetic so that they retain a rich colour for many years to come!
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We would love a recommendation of something to read, a book or blog or even a podcast to listen to, as we fell escapism is more important than ever at the moment?
Well my top two choices at the moment are The Great Indoors Podcast, by two of my favourites, Kate Watson-Smyth and Sophie Robison - https://thegreatindoors.libsyn.com/ They are chatty, funny and informative. The other one is The TV Carpenter, in which Wayne Perry, who is probably the most prolific carpenter on TV at the moment, interviews the favourite designers he’s worked with on TV -https://tvcarpenter.buzzsprout.com/
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What is the first thing you plan to do as soon as the lockdown is lifted?
Visit my elderly parents!
Thank you Anna it has been a pleasure and absolute treat to work with you.
Finally a last big thank to all the designers. We have had such good fun getting to know you as people and have since become friends as a result of it. We have really enjoyed the whole process from beginning to end and seeing the magic happen with our soda siphon bases. We look forward to keeping in touch.
To see the soda siphons bases and all the lamp shade designs that are for sale please click here for all the information.
Do feel free to get in touch and ask any questions.
With much love Annie and Anna x
