Auntjen, my personal favorite is the black and white check. It would tie in, and to me, looks a bit more sophisticated than most of the others, some which really read "country" to me, and not in a good way. You've already got so much red in there, I think you need to stay away from more. My second choice would be the Ballard ones, but I'm not crazy about those, either. I love checks!

out of the shades you show, i *might* like the last green, red, and tan checked the best-hard for me to say without seeing...

i just replaced my dining room shades-8 lights- and was surprised at how expensive some shades are!! i waited for a sale to buy mine (RH -i wanted larger shades this time). i remember i found a lighting website with a pretty good selection of shades at decent prices, but can't remember what it was anymore... :(

Thanks, Nanny2a! I do like the black & white check (although I just noticed that the description reads navy check, so I'll definitely have to re-check that if I do order those particular ones). I see what you mean about some of them being overly-countrified. I feel like I've really got a fractured personality going on in this space, because it's a combination of vintage-Mexican-cottage - with a few English and French touches! ;-D

Somewhere I saw some mustard-colored Buffalo plaid shades and I can't seem to locate them again. The checks were larger scale and didn't feel country at all. They didn't match my valances exactly, but looked like they would have tied in nicely.

Thanks, Busybee3! I also do like the last red, green & tan check (I think the seller calls it "nutmeg") - just not sure if it would be too "country" now. (I did say I wanted something more country above, though, didn't I? I guess what I'm trying to convey is that I want an old-fashioned feel, but nothing reminiscent of 1980s country style!)

This color is more what I was thinking of for the Buffalo plaid that I keep dreaming of. And actually, I rather like this shade too - it's just not exactly the plaid that I had in mind. This color does speak to some of the shading in my Saltillo tile floor though.

I like the red and green check. I'm not quite understanding the mustard. Is there more of that color in the room that I can't see from the picture?

I've got the Ballard ones in green and after I had them about a month the vertical seams started separating. It's nothing a bit of glue doesn't fix but still annoying. I did get them on sale; they were $13 apiece.

AJ, since you already have shades, and you are very talented and handy, would you consider painting the ones you have? If so, you can get some fabric paint in the color you want for the field. You can embellish or not by gluing fabric, ribbon or trim in coordinating colors in an intersecting pattern or any design that appeals. Even just adding hot glued trim to the top +/or bottoms may be nice. Or use a stencil to overspray a pattern on the field color. Or match the design on the bottom of your lamp with a colored pen for fabrics. Or add small glass fruit to the bottom. Lots of creative options out there only limited by how much work/fun you're willing to invest.

If you do buy new ones because you just want a different shape or find the perfect shades w/o the work, consider how much translucency you'll need as the ones you've shown will not transmit as much light as the ones you have.

to me, the red, green and tan shades do not say country as loudly as the other red shades you pictured...

i like the mustard ones you picture also, but don't know if i'd love the color as much in your room... again, i'd have to see it!

ab brings up a good point about how opaque you would want them... but, given the fact that you have 9 lights and a large chandy, light output might not be too much of a concern!

and, speaking of light, i replaced my chandy flame bulbs with halogen bulbs which have a lower watt/light output(or whatever!)---home depot carries 25 watts = 40 watts incandescent or something like that and 40=60. they are cooler but brighter than my old bulbs and, i think, better under shades!

Thanks for the input! I had actually pondered the possibility of recovering the ones I have - hadn't really thought about painting them though. Hmmm ... because they're that faux leather fabric though, I'm not sure how well that would translate - ?

The light could really stand to be a lot more opaque. Even with the current shades and the lights turned down via the dimmer, it still feels like you could land a jet in there.

As for the mustard - there is that shade in my valances, in tones of the Saltillo tile floor, and in accessories scattered around the combo breakfast room/kitchen. I just wish I could find the Buffalo checks in the mustard that are in my head. I know they exist somewhere, but my searching has turned up zilch.

Jen, with the lights on I don't think the mustard color would even stand out.

I like the last one, the green/red check.

I'm so glad you've come to the Dark Side. lol. I have a ton of stores in my "Country" Fave places folder. And I don't mean country cutesy either, if you need ideas.

This may sound nuts, but I think I can just about enlarge the photos above to lifesize, and I'm going to cut them out and place them on my current shades to see if I can get a feel for how each pattern looks! (Hey, whatever works -right?)

The green & red check does have a nice vintage feel to it, the more I go back and look at it! The colors of that one would definitely be safe, add warmth and be a good deal different than the "skin" shades that I currently have.

Oakley - I am actually interested in your faves, particularly anything that shows vintage kitchen vignettes. Please share if you can! (Do I need to start a new thread?)

This may sound nuts, but I think I can just about enlarge the photos above to lifesize, and I'm going to cut them out and place them on my current shades to see if I can get a feel for how each pattern looks! (Hey, whatever works -right?)

The green & red check does have a nice vintage feel to it, the more I go back and look at it! The colors of that one would definitely be safe, add warmth and be a good deal different than the "skin" shades that I currently have.

Oakley - I am actually interested in your faves, particularly anything that shows vintage kitchen vignettes. Please share if you can! (Do I need to start a new thread?)

shades of light is the website i was thinking of that has a decent selection...but, they're not inexpensive... :(

i like the idea of enlarging and taping on current shades! i would do that!!

Are these the buffalo plaid that you saw?

Here is a link that might be useful: shades

No (although those are cute!). The fabric I saw was similar to this ...
{{!gwi}}

After doing what felt like "playing paper dolls" with my paper printouts of the shades, I ordered the Nutmeg ... this one ...

The colors couldn't be any more perfect, and I'm so excited to get the new shades! Will definitely take/post pics once that happens, as I think they're really going to add a lot to the look I'm going for. Thanks again for the input and for letting me bounce around my thoughts here!

Lamps Plus has some chandelier shades that I think might work for you.

They have a faux leather shade as well as some with checks.

Those were my favorites for your room. I can't wait to see them. You'll have to take one picture with the light off so we can see the colors with your room.

"This may sound nuts, but I think I can just about enlarge the photos above to lifesize, and I'm going to cut them out and place them on my current shades to see if I can get a feel for how each pattern looks! (Hey, whatever works -right?)"
Haha, mock up! I love it.

I'm excited to see the new shades!

My new shades arrived on Saturday and I absolutely love them! Even DH, who ordinarily wouldn't get too excited over lampshades, pronounced them awesome. ;-D

I took the bottom photo last night with my Blackberry, so the color and quality is poor but will at least give an idea of how much they add warmth to the space. A much better look (IMO) than the faux leather shades.

Before:

After with new shades:

They look like they are the perfect accent for your room!

The new shades look fantastic!

For other ones -- check out Garden Ridge ... they usually carry a few styles too .....

i like 'em!!

You mentioned you had more than enough light coming from the chandelier. Have you thought about replacing all or half of the bulbs with lower wattage? Great idea about the cut/paste with the pictures. I think you made the right choice, those are great shades.

They look great!

I am late to the forum. Your choice of red in the shade is a real winner. When I looked at the pic of the chandelier in your first post I was going to say that the chandelier and the room are just screaming for red shades. Good Job !

I used to be in the custom lampshade business and once did a job with red shades with gold around them for a decorator (who designed what she wanted) for a dining room in a showcase home. They really made the room.

Your shades are perfect!

If I may make a suggestion...

The sideboard area is reading just a bit heavy for the room, how attached are you to that picture (it's lovely, but throwing my eye off)? Perhaps move your teapots to the shelf above the sideboard, kitty corner the breadbox and stack a couple of your plates on the sideboard.

I'd love to see more white items on the sideboard to counter the lovely dark wood -just a few larger sized items.

I can't get over the changes you have made and you continue to be an inspiration.