Lili Marlene Custom Lampshades
Custom drum lampshades in progress on the worktable in the Lili Marlene workroom, with wire frames and rolls of shade paper behind them

Aurora workroom · Custom, recover, reline, repair

Custom lampshades repaired, relined, and made to fit.

Bring in the shade, or send photos and measurements. We'll talk through the shape, the fitting, and the fabric, and give you an honest timeline before any work begins.

Call (303) 623-3336 Bring photos or measurements
Shelves of shade fabrics and materials along a workroom wall

The workroom on South Peoria

A craft passed hand to hand, kept to one standard

Lili Marlene was founded by Linda Grove after she fell in love with the art of lampshades on a trip to Europe. Back home she found the making of shades was a dying art, and tracked down Emma of the now-gone Artistic Lighting to learn the skills.

Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry rose from apprentice to owner, and runs the shop to Linda and Emma's exacting standards. Whether you want a shade built from scratch, an heirloom recovered, or a worn lining brought back to life, it is made by hand, here, the way it was taught.

What we make, recover, and repair

Shades built to your shape, not off a shelf

01

Custom & replacement shades

The shade you have in mind, built in our fabric or yours. If you need a match for a lamp that's had the same shade for decades, bring the base or the measurements and we'll make it fit.

02

Recovering an existing shade

Keep a frame you love and give it a fresh face. We recover shades in your choice of fabric — including your own — to lift a piece back into the room it belongs in.

03

Repair & relining

Don't throw out a shade when the lining wears through. Linings are often acetate, which ages faster than the outer fabric. Relining usually costs less than a new shade and adds years of life.

04

Harps, fittings & light welding

Replacing old and worn harps, changing fittings — washer, Uno, and Euro — and light welding on frames. Shade fabric has to be removed before a frame can be welded, and we'll walk you through that.

05

Shades from heirloom pieces

We have made shades from family heirloom objects, including skirts and pillows — a way to keep something meaningful in the light of a room instead of a closet.

We're happy to work with most materials. One exception: we do not work with rawhide, because of the extensive processing it requires.

A matched pair of drum shades in a printed duck-and-tree fabric, made in the workroom
Matched pairs, unusual prints, and one-off shapes are ordinary work here.
A cut-corner rectangular lampshade in rust-red silk on the worktable
A cut-corner shade in rust silk, recovered to its original shape.

The shape of the work

  1. 1

    Bring it or send it

    Drop off the shade, or send photos with detailed measurements — even a very unusual shape can be replicated from good pictures and numbers.

  2. 2

    Talk it through

    We go over the shape, the material, and the fitting your lamp needs, and help you choose fabric — ours or your own.

  3. 3

    An honest timeline

    Careful work takes time, especially a custom frame. You'll get an accurate estimate up front, before anything begins.

  4. 4

    We build or recover

    The shade is made, recovered, or relined by hand in the workroom, held to the same standards on every piece.

  5. 5

    Pick up your piece

    You collect the finished shade, ready to go back on the lamp it was made for.

From the people whose shades we've made

Difficult shapes, replicated exactly

"We had two difficult pleated shades needing replacement. The work and results were perfect. This company is a unique resource we hope never goes away."

★★★★★Rick Gilbert

"I took pictures and detailed measurements — a very unique shape — and they were able to replicate them perfectly. They had to build a custom frame and then cover them, and they gave me an accurate time estimate upfront."

★★★★★Tom M.

Bring your shade to the workroom

Visit us in Aurora

Come by during shop hours, or call first — odd shapes and heirloom pieces are exactly what we're here for.

Address

2993 S. Peoria St., Suite 116
Aurora, CO 80014

Inside the Peoria Professional Building, corner of South Peoria and Cornell — near the South Parker exit off 225.

Hours

Tuesday–Friday, 11am–4pm

Saturday & Monday by appointment — call to arrange.

What to bring

The shade and its lamp base if you can, plus photos, measurements, and any fabric you'd like us to use.

Call about your shade Ask about relining