Dia Medium Jute Lampshade - Natural

The Dia is a jute lampshade in a tapered drum, lined pale on the inside. This is the medium: 18.5cm tall, 25.5cm across the top and 30.5cm across the base. The jute is coarsely woven and the weave shows across the whole surface, with the slub and the natural colour variation of the fibre left in, so the shade reads as a texture rather than a colour.

Thirty centimetres is the width most ordinary table lamps are built around, which makes the medium the default of the four sizes: wide enough to cover a normal lamp body and hide the lampholder, narrow enough not to overhang a bedside or a side table. The taper keeps the widest part at the bottom, so on a table lamp the light is thrown down onto the surface and up through the top opening onto the ceiling. On a ceiling fitting the same shape spreads it wider across the room. It weighs 0.44kg.

Jute is a plant fibre, coarse and hard wearing, and it is woven before being formed over the frame, so the tension and the grain differ from shade to shade. The Dia range runs from small to extra large in this natural jute and again in an ink colourway. No bulb, base or fitting is included.

How do I measure for a lampshade?

Measure across the widest part of the base, pick a shade wider than that, then check the height against the bulb so the fitting is hidden when you look at the lamp from sitting height.

Is the medium the right size for a bedside lamp?

Usually. At 30.5cm across it suits an ordinary table lamp body without overhanging most bedside tables. On a very small base the small is the better fit.

Will it fit a ceiling pendant as well?

Yes. It is made for table lamps, floor lamps and ceiling use, so one shade covers all three fittings.

How do I handle it?

Hold it by the fitting and never by the jute, because taking the weight on the fabric pulls a shade out of shape. A microfibre cloth, gently, is all it asks for.