Basic Lamp Shapes

Considerations

• Choosing the right shapes for your lamps isn't difficult. The shape of the bulb itself is not as important as the shapes of the lamp and the shade unless the bulb is visible, but the shape of the shade and how it flows with the lamp is an important factor. A good rule of thumb is to choose shades complementary to the shape of your lamp. A rounded shade may not be an appropriate match for a square base lamp. Your eye is the best judge, but try choosing lines that flow together rather than against each other.

Bulbs

• Light bulbs come in a variety of shapes. The shape you choose may be dictated by the lamp itself, but some of your choices include the globe, spiral, flood or candelabra. The globe is a traditionally shaped bulb seen in many lamps. The spiral is a corkscrew shape, while the flood comes to a wide head, like the mouth of a trumpet. The candelabra resembles a flame and is often used for a more elegant lamp.

Lamps

• The body of the lamp -- neck and base -- define the shape together. Some lamps have narrow necks that flow into either a vaselike shape or a square. Another lamp shape is the bell shape, which narrows from its starting point and becomes wider at the base. The goose neck typically has a wide bottom and a long thin and sometimes curved body.

Shades

• The lamp shade, along with the lamp itself, delivers the primary look of the lamp. Lamp shades have names. These include the empire, drum, bell, coolie and square. Other shapes are rectangular, oval, hexagon or cut corner. There are also scalloped and notched shades. The coolie is rounded with sloped sides. This shade is seen frequently on table lamps. Bell shades are also seen on table lamps. They curve inward and come to a wide flaring bottom. Scallops and notching are decorative elements that can be added to any of these basic shapes.