An Amanda Wells x Emily Hogarth collaboration

Earlier in the year it was lovely to be joined by the wonderfully talented artist Emily Hogarth at my very first Hand Painted Lampshade Making workshop. I was in awe of her talents as she put paint to paper. 

I was delighted when Emily agreed to work with me in creating a collection of seasonal limited edition lampshades. With the magic of Emily's artistry and my flair for colour and want to turn beautiful things into lampshades, I believe we have created something really special! Each design takes inspiration from the diverse East Lothian countryside, incorporating foliage and wildlife that we encounter here in this beautiful corner of Scotland.

Many months later this collection is now available to purchase. All the very best things come to those who wait…… so why not gift a beautiful lampshade this Christmas to someone that you love!

Each shade is individually painted by Emily using the same colour palette. They can be purchased individually or designed to go together as a collection. Emily uses Farrow and Ball paint colours that we have carefully selected, tones we believe would uplift any interior space. 

We recommend pairing any of these lampshades with an Arran Candlestick Lamp Base in Sky Blue or a Gairloch Fluted Lamp Base in Sky blue.

The story of the silhouette lampshade…….

Whilst Emily and I loved creating the silhouette lampshade collection (summer shade pictured below) we soon learnt that things don't always go as planned.

In addition to our hand painted collection, Emily and I also tested paper cut shades, where Emily designed and cut the most exquisite designs full of characterful imagery for each season.

Using a gorgeous array of linens on the outside of the templates I then rolled them into shades and finished with contrast binding to compliment the painted shade palette. I lined the inside of the shades with ivory cotton lining to hide the white board and give a warmer softer glow from within. The idea being that the lampshade had a plain appearance when the light was off, but when illuminated the lampshade transforms into something magical!  

Although the lampshades are breathtaking when made and lit up, there are sadly flaws to this particular product design.  Cutting into the board so intricately reduces the stability significantly, the added weight of the linen and cotton on top of this also resulted in the shape of the shade being compromised on the outside and on the inside as you can see from the images below.

We have learnt a lot along this process but it’s certainly not the end of this idea- we don’t give up that easily!  We are already conjuring up ideas as to how we can adapt and make the Silhouette happen.

We believe that if we are not 100% happy with the products we make, we know my customers won’t be either, so until it’s flawless, you’ll have to keep waiting! 

Please do keep up to date with the latest news and product lines by following both Emily and myself on Instagram.

With love and warm wishes until next time,

Amanda x