You could say this small business was born out of frustration. I couldn’t find the shades I wanted for my own home so made them for myself. Then I got to wondering if others might like them too.

So when full time work turned into contracting I used some spare time and got creative!

I love handcrafting the lampshades. Taking drab or pre-loved shades, I choose a fabric that suits each piece and get busy fitting it. I also love making to order. A bespoke lampshade provides a wonderful focus and ambiance to a room.

My aim is to make beautiful lampshades at reasonable prices.

My fabric box is full to overflowing with material that I have salvaged from the remnant bins of designer shops, or hand-picked at retail outlets.

I also sell new and up-cycled lamp stands - saving products that might otherwise end up as land fill.

In normal times you can find me on the third Sunday of every month at the Craft Market at Pātaka. I also have a stall in Greytown most weekends. You can check out which dates at my Upcoming Markets page (bottom left corner) on my new website shadesatgrays.co.nz