Tiwa Medium Woven Jute Lampshade - Natural

The Tiwa is a tapered drum wound in fine jute cord, the cord running vertically from the top rim to the bottom in hundreds of close parallel lines. The surface reads as a fine stripe rather than a weave, the brass fitting ring shows inside the top, and the slight variation in cord thickness keeps the lines from looking machined. This is the medium: 18.5cm tall and 30.5cm across.

Thirty centimetres is the width most ordinary table lamps are built around, so this is the size that will fit a lamp already in the room. Winding rather than weaving makes it denser than a woven jute of the same fibre, so the light leaves mostly through the open ends and the shade itself keeps a soft grain rather than glowing through. On a clear glass base the vertical cord and the vertical flex line up; on a turned wooden base the fine lines sit against the turning rather than repeating it. It weighs 0.62kg.

Jute is fast growing and biodegradable, taking four to six months from planting to harvest, and it is colourfast. Each shade is wound by hand over its frame, so the spacing differs from one to the next. The Tiwa range runs from small to extra large. No bulb, base or fitting is included.

Is it woven or wound?

Wound. The cord is laid vertically side by side rather than crossed, which is why the surface reads as a fine stripe and why it is denser than a woven jute shade.

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 at sitting height.

How does it compare with the Dia jute shades?

The Dia is woven cloth and this is wound cord. The Tiwa is denser, so less light passes through the sides and more leaves through the open ends.

How do I care for it?

A soft brush along the cord rather than across it, and handle it by the fitting rather than the jute.