nailhead lamp shade

I'm so happy I did this—my lamp shade now is now decked out in nailhead trim!


The plain linen lamp shade was just fine, just fine, but it felt like it needed something. See what I mean?
For a while, I thought I'd do some pretty ribbon. But I never found a ribbon I loved. And as I bought some nailheads to try out on this chair I've been reupholstering (almost done!!) two things happened:

1. I got overwhelmed thinking of nailing in each and every decorative nail on this chair. Exhausting. And expected. I mean, I just took each and every old nail out of this chair. It's time for something different.
2. I instantly looked over and noticed the shade. It was totally an aha moment.

Nailheads: NO (maybe some pretty braid or cording instead)

Nailheads: YES!

So what do you think? Did you check out the nailhead trim roundup I posted yesterday?

13 comments

René said...

What a great idea Casey!! The nail head trim sure gave the lamp an extra sparkle. Never would have thought of that.

I'm dying over the chair. So pretty!

-Rene

Karen said...

I'm all for less work, especially when you get a great outcome. Whenever I visited a showhouse it is the small details, like your shade with nailhead trim, that I notice. It's the finishing touches like that which turn an ordinary home into something spectacular.

Fran said...

Casey, I love it!!! Looks awesome! You're a genius!

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

I love it! Never would think to put nailheads on a lampshade but it looks fantastic!

robyn said...

FABULOUS!! What kind of nailhead is that? Just heads, no nails? Self adhesive? I can't imagine upholstery nails working on a thin lampshade. Do tell!!

Beth said...

oh my goodness - this is fabulous! Now I'm itching to get out of the office and start some diy projects. Thank goodness for a long weekend :)

casey at loft and cottage said...

Robyn, I actually did use real upholstery nails. The shade was linen covered, so the fabric plus the paper of the shade was enough to hold them. But I actually think this would work even with just paper. The nails were so light, it was no problem at all.

Rashon Carraway said...

This is truly an idea that is inspiring. I recently had a lamp aha moment. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

http://mrgoodwillhunting.blogspot.com

antique glass lamp shade said...

Very creative idea! I guess I have to experiment like this in my bedroom.

neighborhoodgrace said...

Love the nailhead trim! And I love the fabric you are using on that chair! What is it?

casey at loft and cottage said...

Hi Grace, Thanks for the compliments! Isn't the fabric awesome? It's P Kaufmann Hip, in Dove, but it comes in lots of other beautiful colorways. I got it locally but found it online here: http://maryjos.com/fabrics/dove-decorina

Unknown said...

I'm just coming across this post and absolutely love the idea! Do the nails pop through and poke out on the inside of the lampshade? Let me know, love it!

casey at loft and cottage said...

Hi Kelly, yes, I didn't feel I wanted to figure out a solution for the nails on the inside, so they do poke out and so a bit of caution is necessary when reaching inside the shade. I suppose you could add a strip of foam or batting or something to cover them and make it a bit safer...