How to Choose the Perfect Shade for Your Home

Choosing the right lampshade is essential to achieving balance, proportion and atmosphere within your home. This expert guide has been created to help you confidently select the correct size, shape and fitting for your pendant, table lamp or floor lamp.

Whether you’re updating a hallway light, styling a bedside table or elevating a living room corner, our Ready Made Lampshade Guide ensures you select a shade that enhances both your lighting and your interior aesthetic.

At Noble & Nook, our curated collection of ready made lampshades has been thoughtfully designed for stylish UK homes. From contemporary linen drums to statement pleated and textured finishes, each piece brings warmth, depth and refinement to your space. Designed in limited runs and carefully selected for quality and impact, our shades act as the finishing touch, much like jewellery for your home.

A well-chosen lampshade does more than diffuse light; it shapes ambience, softens interiors and creates cohesion within a room. By following the simple steps below, you’ll be able to determine:

  • The correct diameter and height for your lamp base
  • The ideal proportion for ceiling pendants
  • Which fitting type you need (BC, ES or pendant)
  • The most flattering shape for your interior style

With the right knowledge, selecting the perfect ready made lampshade becomes effortless.

Let’s begin.

How to Choose the Right Size

Our lampshade sizes are measured by the diameter at the bottom of the shade.

  • For Table Lamps

    Aim to match the lamp base height to the lampshade diameter. For example, a 35 cm base pairs best with a 35 cm shade. In most cases, 30cm to 40 cm sizes are ideal.

  • For Floor Lamps

    Choose a larger shade 40 cm upwards, but ensure to match to the scale / size of the lamp and the space around it.

  • hallway with wooden floor, light fixture, and decorative elements

    For Pendant Lights

    Take both room size and ceiling height into account. Medium size shades, 30cm - 40 cm suit smaller spaces, while larger sizes create the best impact in larger rooms.

    In hallways or entryways, look to have at least 7 feet clearance from floor to bottom of shade

What fitting do I need?

  • Our Ready Made Lampshades are suitable for Gimbal Lampshade Fitting. A gimbal fitting, also known as a duplex ring, is the standard lampshade fitment used in most UK homes.

    Designed for versatility and ease, it allows your lampshade to attach directly to a ceiling pendant, table lamp or floor lamp without the need for additional hardware.

    This fitting consists of a circular metal ring fixed inside the top of the lampshade. The ring sits securely onto the lamp holder and is held in place by the shade ring collar. Most UK shades are supplied with a removable reducer insert, making them compatible with both:

    • BC (Bayonet Cap – 22mm) lamp holders
    • ES (Edison Screw – 27mm) lamp holders

    If the reducer ring is in place, the shade fits a BC holder. If removed, it fits an ES holder.


    Why It’s the Most Popular UK Fitting


    ✔ Compatible with the majority of UK ceiling pendants and lamp bases
    ✔ Easy to install – no specialist tools required
    ✔ Clean, balanced appearance

    ✔ Secure and stable once fitted


    The gimbal/duplex ring fitting offers flexibility, reliability and simplicity, which is why it remains the most common and practical choice for ready made lampshades across the UK. If you’re updating your lighting, this fitting ensures a seamless, confident fit in most standard UK homes.

Shop our Lampshade Collections

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Expert Tips

  • Measure Twice: Always measure your existing shade or lamp base before ordering
  • Check your bulb type: LED bulbs can be used with most lampshades, but check maximum wattage recommendations
  • Consider the room: Lighter shades diffuse more light; darker shades create ambient mood lighting
  • Match your style: The shade shape should complement your lamp base style

Types of Lampshade Fittings

  • Pendant (Ceiling) Fittings

    How to identify: Hangs from the ceiling on a cord or chain.

    Fitting type: Usually has a ring or duplex fitting that attaches to the pendant holder.

    Measurement tip: Measure the diameter of the shade at its widest point.

  • Table & Floor Lamp Fittings

    How to identify: Sits on a table or floor with a vertical lamp base.

    Fitting types:

    • Bayonet (B22): Push and twist fitting
    • Screw (E27): Screw-in fitting
    • Clip-on: Spring clips directly onto bulb

  • Shade Carrier Fittings

    How to identify: A separate adapter ring that sits between the lamp holder and shade.

    Common uses: Required when the lamp base doesn't have a built-in shade support.

    Sizes: Available in various styles and diameters