Case Study - Maison Interiors : Trade Lampshade manufacturing by feature-lighting.co.uk for Independent interior design shop.
Designer Fabric remnant offcuts left over from an interior design shop making curtains & blinds - long strips of fabric are perfect for making lampshades.
I'd like to tell you a story...
This is a really simple story of how we helped an interior design shop turn scrap fabric offcuts into valuable stock . By transforming this small selection of designer remnant fabrics (pictured above) left over from curtains and blinds ....into this fabulous array of quality & unique lampshade stock to sell ( pictured below).
Maison is a family run Interiors shop in Clitheroe, Ribble Valley, selling a great range of designer fabrics, wallcoverings & furnishings. They have a buoyant local trade for bespoke curtains & blinds and a side line in designing & supplying show home interiors. We were introduced by a curtain workshop who knew that we could add value to their offcuts of fabrics left over from making curtains and blinds. The common way of utilising these offcuts is by making cushions, but the world seems to have far too many cushions - turning them into lampshades was a refreshing change for Maison & one that has proved to be a rewarding idea.
Supply us your fabric offcuts by any fabric manufacturers & we can turn it into unique & valuable lampshade stock for you to sell that will really set you apart from your competitors ( minimum fabric size applies) Bespoke Trade Lampshades from Feature-lighting.co.uk
Maison Voyage Fabric lampshades made bespoke by us in customer supplied fabric - we offer a wider choice of shapes and sizes & quick turnaround too, as they are handmade by us in Lancashire to the highest quality standards. Feature Lighting is a UK wholesale lampshade manufacturer.
The Ripple Effect = Multiple Benefits
So what started as a project for Maison to find a use for some remnant fabric, has become a benefit to their business on many fronts. Now when Maison buys new stock for their shop, they buy table lamp bases and floor lamps they like, regardless of the shade (which is often an uninspiring poor quality black or white shade) knowing that they can get unique lampshades made up by us to make a better finished unique product, that they can sell with a good margin.
Also, when putting together new displays for their showroom & window, a coordinating lampshade or two feature to enhance the display, giving a really professional, cohesive and eye-catching result. A pendant light shade (or three! we know how you designers like to work in odd numbers ) hanging down giving visual interest up high, and floor standing lamps with a big lampshade giving scale and a few table lamp shades dotted around the showroom on tables and consoles to give highlights of pattern and character unique to the store, because they are not bought in from the usual interior design suppliers.
The biggest added bonus is that now they have grasped the up-sell opportunity, when selling curtains & blinds they regularly take orders for matching lampshades.. Having another bespoke & unique service to offer their customers is an additional way to keep their independent shop thriving against the same old high street offering & the internet discount stores. Their personal service & design advice is what keeps their customers coming back - more often than not with a lamp base in hand that they need a new lampshade for. Many customers commenting that they have looked for years for new shades for their beloved favourite lamp bases & not been very successful. Even if you can find a light shade on the high street in a fabric you like, you would be lucky if it fits the existing base you have, or conversely, you may find one to fit, but it will likely be a bland & poorly made import - so configuring a bespoke lampshade from Feature Lighting is the perfect solution, giving an old base (especially one you love) a new lease of life & often costing less than buying a whole new lamp.
We really enjoy working with Interior Design Stores like Maison, mainly because they already have experience in selecting designer fabrics for curtains & therefore quite easily grasp our system of lampshade configuration, plus supplying fabric to us COM ( customer own material) lets us work with a wider choice of patterns that we would not be able to stock ourselves and every one is different. Be it classic or on-trend, neutral or wildly colourful, it never ceases to amaze us what clients chose, but by configuring their own lamp shades one thing is for sure, unlike Goldilocks, they are never too small, too big or too plain - they’re always just right. And they all lived happily ever after with the gorgeous lampshades made by us. The End.
