Light up your memories
Light up your memories
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All of our lamps have a standard E26 socket and switch. We can supply a bulb that we think is appropriate for the size lamp shade you are ordering. However, you will eventually need to replace it and you might want to choose something different. Here we discuss the bulb options and give you advice on where to buy them.
Most light bulbs currently sold are LED which have the lowest operational cost and are most reliable.
Many LED E26 bulbs have opaque plastic on the bottom half of the bulb, resulting in an uneven illumination of your shade, darker at the bottom. We recommend bulbs that have glass (or clear plastic) all the way down to the socket. A good choice is the Sylvania® TruWave™ Natural Series™ that is available in most homeowner stores and on Amazon.
For small diameter tall lamps such as our popular lamp-in-a-shade which is 7" diameter by 12" high, a tall bulb is needed for even illumination. We recommend a frosted 8.9-inch bulb such as this one at Amazon.
The bulb should be centered in the shade vertically. For our table lamp we will choose a harp height needed to center the bulb. For our hanging lamp we will supply an extension to the spring clip to center the bulb. If you are buying a shade for a lamp you have, you may need to make these adjustments yourself. Contact us if you have questions.
If a bulb is too bright, it will wash out the colors and detail in the image printed on your shade. To maximize the look of your shade we recommend a 40-watt equivalent bulb for diameters under 8 inches, 60-watt for diameters 8-11 inches, and a 100 watt bulb for diameters 12 inches and above. You may want to try bulbs of different brightness in your lamp.
Until recent years most bulbs in your home had a tungsten filament that produced a yellow color 2700K. We therefore got used to the "warm" light from these and so prefer this color temperature with LED bulbs. However, for the photo on your shade will look the most realistic with a "daylight" 5000K bulb. Our preference is to compromise with a 3000K or 3500K "bright white" bulb.
Edison LED bulbs have clear glass so you can see the bright LEDs inside. Some of these bulbs work for our lamps, but a problem is that they may leave shadows on the shade, such as from the harp. Tall Edison bulbs sometimes have internal wires that leave shadows. You will never go wrong with a frosted bulb.
Most LED bulbs currently available are dimmable. With these you can buy a dimmer that goes between the plug on your lamp and the wall outlet. Such dimmers can be operable over Wi-Fi. Also you can find smart bulbs that have Wi-Fi dimmers built into the bulb base.
