Looking for lamp shades? You may want to consider paper lanterns for a modern, bohemian, or Asian look.

Square Paper Lantern – a different approach to lamp shades.

Then again, you may be a fan of traditional lamp shades.

Standard Lamp Shade – Boring!

Not that there’s anything wrong with traditional, but think about sprucing up your environment with paper lanterns. Paper lanterns can be hung from a ceiling or used on a floor or table lamp. Apply the same principles you would to standard lamp shades: make sure the size of the lantern is in proportion to the lamp, and in proportion to the room you are lighting.

Paper lanterns usually bring to mind big tents or reception halls with many hanging lanterns. But individual paper lanterns can be used very effectively in a home setting. There are at least 3 ways to use paper lanterns as lamp shades:

1. Hang the paper lantern by attaching it to a suspended light bulb on a cord.
2. Hang the paper lantern from light bulb in a ceiling fixture.
3. Place the paper lantern on top of the bulb of a floor or table lamp.

Before explaining these possibilities, it’s important to understand what the paper lantern metal expander inside the lantern looks like. It is somewhat similar to the wire light bulb holder found in lamp shades.

Metal Expander for Luna Bazaar Premium Paper Lanterns

The closed end of the metal expander (on the right) is inserted into the larger opening of the paper lantern before it is fully open. The twisted wire in the middle is the bulb grabber. The two prongs at the open end of the expander (on the left) fit neatly into two loops at the top of the lantern, holding it open.

Hanging the lantern from a suspended light bulb on a chord, is as simple as removing the old lamp shade, and sliding the light bulb into the lantern’s bulb grabber.

Hanging a paper lantern from a ceiling fixture is trickier because the top portion of the lantern must fit between the light bulb and the ceiling. This works if  the light fixture has a rod that holds the light bulb away from the fixture.

Lamp shades on floor lamps have to be larger in order to be in proportion to the stand. Otherwise, you create a “lollypop effect”. Both floor and table lamps may use a harp for attaching lamp shades. How to attach a lantern to a lamp harp is a mystery to me. If anyone out there has a suggestion for doing this, please share your knowledge with us! Replacing clip-on lamp shades is easy – just turn the lantern upside-down and slide the bulb into the bulb grabber.

You may be surprised at the variety of lanterns that look good as lamp shades. The Oval and Mesa shapes are sleek and modern.

Unusual shapes that would also look good as lamp shades are the Tabla and the Pagoda designs.

Pagoda Style Paper Lantern

We also have Beehive, Eyelet, Square, and Printed paper lanterns that can take the place of traditional lamp shades. For a good overview, go to this page in the Luna Bazaar online store and banish boring lamp shades!