Best lampshades to illuminate your space in style

We’re sure we’re not the only ones to have noticed M&S has really upped its interiors game in the past few years. It now has so many coveted items that sell out frequently, that we’ve always got our eye on something in its homeware department.

This is one of the best-priced shades we’ve come across in this sort of style, especially for its rather large size at 40cm, and comes in a very light brown and natural colour.

We did think it might not diffuse light well considering the slight open weave of the rattan, but it gave a pleasing glow to our room. As it doesn’t have an open top, it doesn’t cast a big shadow on the ceiling either, which we quite liked for keeping the lighting muted.

Dunelm has also cemented itself as a go-to for aesthetically pleasing interior pieces that come in at a much more affordable price point. There aren’t many ceiling lampshades you can buy that would give you change from £20, like this one.

We like its flower shape shade, and the contrasting white pleats and pale blue trim. It’s simple and pretty and would look good in any room. It’s lined too, adding to its quality, and it’s also available in 30cm size for just £16 and a dusty pink trim.

As the queen of all our lighting needs, Pooky has practically everything you could think of covered when it comes to shades, fittings and lamps.

Pooky doesn’t just excel at great shades, but it’s always going one step further in the world of lighting. This shade is designed to go with its mini elbow rechargeable wall fitting that looks just as good on either side of your bed, as they do in the lounge, and omits the need for annoying cables – very chic. We loved the quality of this little shade, which gives a superb warm glow and goes with practically any interior style. It’s also available as a pendant-style wall fitting.

Another interior favourite brand of ours, Oka has such a knack for making us lust after so many of its designs.

We love the rather unusual square shape of this shade, which is handmade from iron, and its silk gathered outer (the only silk shade on our list) feels very luxurious, and comes in at a decent price considering it’s silk.

It features an all-over checked white and blue pattern and inside has a white cotton lining too which helps give a pleasing glow to the light. We think it looks best with a contrasting chunky lampstand.

Looking for cool but understated interior inspiration? Maison Flaneur’s chic and creative designs cover everything from art to tableware, and of course lighting, and will have you adding plenty to your wishlist, just like us.

We love the pleated striped sides of this vintage-looking shade, which is finished off with a pretty little frill. Its ochre tone adds warmth to the room, and as the material is so thick and it’s well lined with organic cotton, once the lamp is on, it creates a warm orangey glow. Sizes start at 4.5in and increase by 2in from 6in up to 20in, which are handmade. You can also choose whether it comes as a pendant or a table lamp fitting.

If you love including a touch of velvet in your interiors, Oliver Bonas is always a safe bet for finding something to fit the bill. This plush oversized shade is exactly the sort of thing we’d expect from the brand, and we love the contrasting fringing that gives a fun 1920s feel to the shade.

It’s one of the biggest we’ve tested at 46cm in diameter, and we really like how much of an impact it makes on a room, even one that has high ceilings. It’s one for the maximalist who loves colour and texture. We only wish we could shake it when it’s fitted to get the lovely movement from the fringing. It’s also available in pink, yellow and green with the same gold fringing.

We love the cleverly wavy shapes of these styles of lampshades that we see all over Instagram. This shade from Etsy is handmade to order, created using natural raffia and is about half the price of many others like this we’ve seen – so be sure to measure up properly before ordering, though exchanges can be made.

There are 15 trim colours to choose from, including terracotta, pink and black and it comes in five sizes, ranging from 17cm up to 45cm. We also like that it can be made to be either a ceiling or a table lamp fitting. We chose the latter and loved how it looked on our table lamp and were really impressed with the quality of it.

As the only one that needs any sort of “putting together” this large shade from Dunelm is another that looks more expensive than it is. Looking like a lantern, this shade has three tiers, where the middle and smallest sit on hooks within each other, creating the tiered effect. All you have to do is pop each tiere onto the hooks.

It’s a super easy (and affordable) way to add some interest and texture to the room and also comes in black as well as the natural colour we tested. Our only gripe was that there could have been more raffia wrapped around the wire frames, as when we put it up, some became too spaced out and it was hard to close up the gaps again.

A glass ball may seem a bit, well, breakable when it comes to lighting but this globe shape is a fun addition to any room – just maybe not a children’s playroom. This one has a slight pink and brushed gold tint to it, which we think gives it a real Seventies glam vibe to the room.

It was a little harder to fit, simply as the opening at the bottom of the shade is much smaller than most others which are as wide as the full diameter.