In ordering or making shades, be sure that you select colours and materials which produce a diffused light.  A soft thin pink silk as a lining for a silk or cretonne shade is always successful, and if a delicate pink, never clashes with the colours on the outside.  A white silk lining is cold and unbecoming.  A dark shade unlined, or a light coloured shade unlined, even if pink, unless the silk is shirred very full, will not give a diffused, yellow light.

It is because Italian parchment-paper produces the desired glow of light that it has become so popular for making shades, and, coming as it does in deep soft cream, it gives a lovely background for decorations which in line and colour can carry out the style of your room.

Figured Italian papers are equally popular for shades, but their characteristic is to decorate the room by daylight only, and to impart no quality to the light which they shade.  Unless in pale colours, they stop the light, absolutely, throwing it down, if on a lamp, and back against the wall, if on side brackets.  Therefore decorators now cut out the lovely designs on these figured papers and use them as appliques on a deep cream parchment background.

When you decide upon the shape of your shades do not forget that successful results depend upon absolutely correct proportions.  Almost any shape, if well proportioned as to height and width, can be made beautiful, and the variety and effect desired, may be secured by varying the colours, the design of decoration, if any, or the texture or the length of fringe.

The “umbrella” shades with long chiffon curtains reaching to the table, not unlike a woman’s hat with loose-hanging veil, make a charming and practical lamp shade for a boudoir or a woman’s summer sitting-room, especially if furnished in lacquer or wicker.  It is a light to rest or talk by, not for reading nor writing.

The greatest care is required in selecting shades for side-wall lights, because they quickly catch the eye upon entering a room and materially contribute to its appearance or detract from it.

CHAPTER VI

WINDOW SHADES AND AWNINGS

The first thing to consider in selecting window shades when furnishing a house, is whether their colour harmonises with the exterior.  Keeping this point in mind, further limit your selection to those colours and tones which harmonise with your colour schemes for the interior.  If you use white net or scrim, your shades must be white, and if ecru net, your shades must be ecru.  If the outside of your house calls for one colour in shades and the interior calls for another, use two sets.  Your dark-green sun shades never interfere, as they can always be covered by the inner set.  Sometimes the dark green harmonises with the colouring of the rooms.

A room often needs, for sake of balance, to be weighted by colour on the window sides more than your heavy curtains (silk or cretonne) contribute when drawn back; in such a case decorators use coloured gauze for sash curtains in one, two or three shades and layers, which are so filmy and delicate both in texture and colouring that they allow air and light to pass through them, the effect being charming.