My shades are unique. The pagoda and conical shades are constructed of joined wood frames one would expect in any piece of fine furniture. The curved parts are made of many thin wood strips laminated into a strong but light form with no weak short grain. For this reason the frame pieces can be kept small and light. This technique is used in the bottom ring of the conical shade and the arced struts in the pagoda shade.
I use light colored veneers or mica plate for the translucent panels. Either curly maple or birds-eye veneers are laminated to a fiberglass backing fabric using a clear penetrating epoxy resin. The result is a thin but durable and stable panel that allows the light to show through the beautiful figure in the wood.
The mica plate is made from thin chips of mineral held together by a bonding resin. Either natural shellac or man-made alkyd resins are used in this process. The shellac mica has the deep amber cast found in arts and crafts lighting of the early 20th century. The alkyd mica has a lighter rose color that is equally beautiful. To my eye, the alkyd mica harmonizes better with lighter colors like cherry or maple.
I am also offering simpler shades made from handmade papers laminated to a styrene backing. The paper is made from lokta bark in Nepal. These papers have a delightful texture. I am pairing the natural (off-white) paper with the lighter colored cherry and maple lamps. The darker walnut lamps also can be paired with the dark brown papers.
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