The Best Pleated Lampshades for Every Room in Your House

This is Instant Obsession, a weekly column that dishes on all the things our editors are obsessed with right now. From tableware and gorgeous furniture to luxe moisturizer and well-appointed hotels, here's what we're currently dreaming about.

I had a pair of vintage crackled bronze lamp bases that I stashed away for ages, tucked comfortably into a corner in my basement. Their extended stay downstairs was for no reason other than this: They were shadeless. “I’ll find some shades for them,” I promised myself. And then I never did. “I’m going to use these someday, you’ll see,” I said to my husband who rolled his eyes when I plucked them out of the donate pile. See, these lamp bases were special, with their shapely curves and tasteful level of sparkle and glam. Worth holding on to, for sure. Luckily, during a recent living room refresh, I remembered my beloved beauties and rescued them from storage—their time to (literally) shine had finally arrived.

After a quick polish (a glow up, if you will), I started an online search to crown my long lost loves—and fell down an internet rabbit hole of lampshades. Any ol’ shades simply would not do—they had to be just right. (If I’m being honest, I never really thought much about lampshades, but wow, there’s a whole world of options out there.) Click after click, website after website, I kept coming back to pleated lampshades.

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But then doubt set in. Were the formal pleats and patterns too granny for my already-traditional-leaning taste? Yes, it’s true, some styles were awfully sweet, but others were oh-so-chic. So, to be determined. Is this more than I planned to spend on lampshades? Perhaps, but gosh, there sure are some pretty choices! Why am I making this so hard? Won’t a plain linen lampshade work? I was learning that pleated lampshades offer dimension and texture and a chance to make a big decorating impact with a simple swap. I suddenly felt boring, when after a quick inventory, I realized every lamp in my house had a plain off-white lampshade. But that was all about to change.

After hours (okay, days) of research, I finally settled on a gorgeous pair of OKA pleated fabric lampshades in a teal blue-and-cream squiggle print that complements my large-scale plaid sofa in the very best, not overly match-y way. The pleats do bring a certain formality and order that I am naturally drawn to, but offset by the slightly offbeat pattern—one that I admittedly would be way too shy to pick for furniture or even draperies—these lampshades are anything but granny. They are stylish and tailored, fun and refreshing, and the just-right finishing touch to bring my old lamp bases back to life. Plus, they elevate our living room in a way that no run-of-the-mill, flat, cream-colored shade could. It should be no surprise that I’m now truly obsessed with replacing them all with new pleated pretties.

Here, some of my favorite sites to shop for sweet, classic, sophisticated, or bold pleated lampshades for table lamps and chandeliers.