Mendai Small Velvet & Linen Lampshade - Moss Green

The Mendai in moss green is a tapered drum in a deep olive velvet, lined in natural linen that shows as a pale band at the top rim. The washed cotton pile lifts and darkens as the shade turns, so the green moves between a dry khaki and something closer to forest, and it is dark enough to read almost black across a room. This is the small size: 14.5cm tall and 20cm across.

At 20cm across it fits a small base, a bedside lamp or a squat body, and it is the size that stops a shade overhanging a narrow table. A green this deep is the opposite of a neutral: on a clear glass or pale wooden base it is the thing the eye goes to, and it sits better in a room that already has some colour in it than in one built entirely from naturals. Very little light passes out through the velvet, so the pale linen lining is doing the work of keeping what comes down warm. It fits a table lamp, a floor lamp or a ceiling pendant.

The velvet and linen are stitched by hand over an iron frame, so the pile lies differently on each shade. The Mendai range runs from small to extra large in this moss green and again in a mocha. No bulb, base or fitting is included.

How dark is moss green?

A deep olive. Close to, the washed pile shows the green clearly; from across a room it reads nearer black than green.

Which base does the small suit?

A small one. At 20cm across it sits over a bedside lamp or a squat body; on anything wide it will look undersized.

Is the inside velvet as well?

No, the lining is natural linen, visible at the top rim, and under a shade this dark it is what keeps the light coming down warm rather than grey.

How do I care for it?

A soft bristle brush, a microfibre cloth or a lint roller for dust. Velvet should not be cleaned with water. Handle it by the frame, keep it out of direct sunlight, and turn it occasionally so any fading is even.