More for effect, really. I have one black shade on a reading light in my living room. It's cool looking, but cuts down on light a bit. This is where you have to have the form vs. function conversation with yourself. I bought another shade for that lamp, but prefer the black one.

{{!gwi}}

This is a pretty bland shot of the reading lamp by DH's recliner, but the lamp adds to the overall whole of the room. One day I will replace the very useful but boring $10 garage sale end table there.

Red

Look for a black shade that has a gold or silver metallic lining. It reflects much more light out from the shade. The gold liner also creates much warmer light.

As for how much light, how large is the lamp, is it floor or table sized, and what wattage of bulb can it handle?

Nice lamp, Red! What is the shade lined with?

les, great tip re: the gold lining! I would not have thought of that. The lamp is a table lamp, medium-sized (I'll measure tomorrow, but at least 24 inches tall), and will be rewired with a socket rated 660W-250V.

I like your lamp Red!

I was thinking of a black shade for an alabaster lamp base
that I have....yesterday I stopped at Home Goods and there
was one lined with gold for $9.99...scooped it up rather
than have the "shoulda,coulda,woulda's" later on...

I also had a lamp in mind with a black shade but was worried about my dog, a boxer, shedding and/or other dust. Is that a consideration too?

I have a textbook on lighting that suggests a white shade is a big white blob that draws the eye away from the things you really want to be noticing...IOW, all wrong. An interesting take on the situation. The author advocates for black shades, or at least something with color and a relative degree of opacity.

I know the gold lining will bump the light a bit, but I wonder if it would also mitigate the nasty CFL color rendering. Anyone try this? (Oh, I am getting all excited now...)

irish: Ooooh! Let's see a pic if you have one! Good deal!

whenicit: Good point-- I hadn't thought about pet hair and dust.

artlover: Hmm . . .I need to check tonight if it would work for just directional lighting. I think I need more than that. Wish I had room for more lamps.

amysrq: Interesting about what you read. Does the same apply to off-white/creamy shades, do you think? Sounds like it would . . .And the CFL color is a big problem for me, too. Even with a non-Earth-friendly lightbulb, I still think the light w/a white shade is too harsh, but with a CFL it's a nightmare. I feel like my lighting can make or break the room, and right now, not working!

If it's going to be a main light source, then I wouldn't get black. I bought some beautiful lamps awhile back, they were deep red with gold dragonflies on them. Perfect match for the LR. I loved them, but...they didn't give off enough light unless I was sitting right next to the lamp to read. And it even had a 3-way bulb. With both lamps lit, it just didn't help light up anything else.

It also had a white interior lining and that didn't help either. So I had to get rid of them and buy lamps that would actually give off good light. :(

You are so right that lighting can make or break a room.

If you need ambient light from that lamp, the black shade won't give it to you. White or ivory fabric shades let out the most light, followed by white parchment, followed by paper, and then painted/lacquered hard surfaced shades. But well-placed lamps are the coziest and richest and liveliest way to light most rooms. If you flood the room with light, in my view you kill it dead.

A gold lining changes the color of the light, but in my experience a white lining in a lacquered shade actually gives back more light, and a cleaner light, than the very nice but very warm gold light. Some are also lined with metallic silver, which is another effect. A colored fabric shade is very tricky. I never use them. Black is funereal, red is fortune teller/bordello, and gold is jaundiced. I have seen ivory shades lined in pink silk that do luscious things to skin tones, but that's usually a pricey custom kind of thing, and over the top for most of us!

I understand the "white blob" thinking, but in my view it is only a problem when the walls are dark and the lights are too white and too high-wattage.
Unless there is a reason to do otherwise, I usually try to keep all the lampshades in a room the same color (white, or ivory, or palest gray, or lacquered in black or red or green) so that the light quality is consistent throughout the room.
An exception might be when you have sofas and chairs for seating, and want pale shades to light not just what's in your lap, but also your face and the general area, and then somewhere else in the room, a writing desk or game table, where you want only the light that shines up and down. I also like to have 3-way bulbs or dimmer switches on lamps whenever possible. There are some new CFL bulbs that don't have that horrid medical exam room feeling, but I find they need ivory/cream shades to soften them even then.

Recessed lighting is very effective when the fixtures are kept small and close to the walls they are placed to light, so that they wash the walls and whatever is on them, rather than creating the rec-room effect, or worse, the dreaded Swiss-cheese ceiling!

Have I prattled on long enough???

Oakleyok and Bronwynsmom: OK, no black . . .too bad!

Brownwynsmom: You can talk to me about lighting ALL day, seriously. So, no, you haven't talked about it enough!

I have been making $low ($ is the reason!) changes to the lights in that room, but I had been trying to keep them all with white shades . . .but I finally realized that I hate the light! Originally I had white lamps so I felt I had no other choice (I really wanted off-white shades) but now I am just getting new lamps instead.

I am going to have to research lacquered shades. Hmm . . .

RE: Recessed lighting . . .I hope I don't get kicked off the boards for this, but when we started looking at homes a few years ago, I didn't want them in place already. I had a feeling (and still do) that they are going to look dated fairly soon. They are so practical, but I fear they will scream early 2000s.

I have some IKEA lights on my bookshelves and they are too harsh for me (not the actual light, but the fixture), but when we got them I felt I had no other choice. I still do. They scream early 2000s, too!

I love my black shades! Looking at 2 dark grey ones for my Fall/ Winter Bedroom look. Here are some of my black shades:

Well this one's not mine but I have it saved in my inspiration pics:

Now mine:

{{!gwi}}

Another one

Hall Chandelier

Our home is 21 years old and filled with original attractive recessed lighting fixtures and dimmers - take a model home tour and you will see recessed lighting throughout - that is because it is practical, non-invasive lighting. If possible, install some recessed lighting - I think it is a difficult task to have enough lamps in a room to make it light enough. Too many lamps in a room can look a little odd and overdone

I love nubby beige linen shades as well as white and both make for better reflective light than black shades. Really though, it is the style of lamp shade, height and size of the lamp and the wattage of the bulb(s) that are the elements to consider when purchasing a lamp.

I have a reading lamp similar to this one - it is behind our family room couch and the light turns in any direction and the arm folds up when not in use....it takes little room, is attractive and halogen bulbs are wonderful for reading.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reading Lamp

I have ordered a black lamp shade for my LR that should be delivered today. It has a gold lining. I ordered it more for the decor than the lighting aspect. Once I receive it today, I will set it up and see what kind of effect it gives off and report back. I think black lamp shades can be elegant looking.

I have a chandelier that I put black shades on with a metallic gold lining and it makes the dining room look nice at night. Very warm atmosphere. I have it in a dimmer.

Peachie

Lots of good examples of how dark shades do work. Ttodd's stair hall is a perfect example of a black shade used for wonderful atmosphere. As you can see, the kitchen chandelier has a silver metal lining, which clarifies the light on the island in that lovely European-looking room.

Back in the late 70's I had 2 small brass lamps with black shades lined in gold. They were great for accent/mood lighting but not so much for task lighting. Of course it also depends on the size of the shade - ttodd's inspiration pic of the chandy over the table is quite large so gives fairly good light and since it's in a DR it's not necessary to have bright lighting. I find black shades usually look more formal/traditional than many other colors.

I now have beige slub silk shades in the GR which I like better than white with that color scheme. Have white in the BR as they work there with that scheme.

Well, received the black lamp shade today but unfortunately, the lining is white, not gold. Boo hoo! I ordered a gold shade also and its lining is also white. I so wanted that gold lining. I won't return the shade because I like it and it was shipped free.

Good luck with your decision.

I wonder if anyone still looks at this forum? I need a small lamp on my new black piano that will also do duty as lighting in my living room. (Although this is probably not essential because there are dimmable pot lights in the ceiling that cast a beautiful light) I found a nice lamp on line but it has a black shade. I'm worried about the black shade. So opinions please. The base is glossy black with lots of (shiny) gold. Black piano. Greige walls. Would you put a linen coloured shade on the lamp?

Adds sophistication and drama.

I love black lamp shades

Hi I have beautiful gray fabric shades but the inside is black plastic got them at Pier 1 can I paint the inside white because they do not let any light out thank you in advance