I save images I find online to gather ideas and inspiration for our home. After collecting many photos, clear themes often emerge. Sometimes an image feels like “home,” and other times it sparks a specific idea I can adapt in our own rooms.
For this Sunday Strolls and Scrolls post I want to highlight a design detail I love and that appears in my own house: pleated, patterned lampshades.
Pleated patterned shades carry a classic English cottage vibe that has enjoyed a recent revival in online interiors. They don’t suit every home, but I’ve always been drawn to their cozy, collected charm. My husband and I have lived in several older English- and cottage-style houses over the years, so these shades feel very familiar and comforting to me.
As we continue updating rooms in our current home—like the bedroom, kitchen, and dining area—the existing architecture often lends itself naturally to a blend of English cottage and coastal Nantucket influences. That mix of styles feels comfortable and cohesive with the house’s bones.
Over the past year I’ve added three pleated patterned lampshades to our rooms. They’ve brought a warm, homey touch that complements the house’s character without overwhelming it. I like how a simple shade can change the mood of a lamp and make a space feel more finished and personal.
Below are a few images of pleated patterned lampshades I’ve admired online. They illustrate how versatile this look can be—used on side tables, stair lights, and cozy corners—to create a lived-in, layered effect. I hope they give you ideas for adding a small but impactful detail to your own rooms.
See my three pleated lampshades in my home and sources for similar shades in my earlier post about pleated lampshades.
Last week’s inspiration post: 5 Warm and Cozy Rooms: Sunday Strolls & Scrolls