Steffie And Co Handmade Lampshades - Bespoke

Steffie and Co Handmade Lampshades is a North East based business run by Stephanie Stephenson.

We spoke to Stephanie as part of our campaign supporting International Women’s Day.

Having moved to a new home, I failed to find good quality lampshades. Everything was cream with thin wire frames and poor finishing.

I decided to make my own lampshades to ensure lampshades were made well and used the fabrics I wanted.

Launch of Steffie and Co

I started Steffie & Co in 2018 making rigid drum lampshades using paper maps and a range of quality fabrics from popular textile ranges such as Voyage and Sophie Allport to designers such as Christian Lacroix.

These can be made using different liners such as mirrored gold and silver, copper or embossed champagne as well as standard white, extra strong or clear liners in a variety of heights and sizes.

Last year I expanded into lamps and now sell a range that comprises lamps that I have bought in, including a range of recycled glass lamps, as well as handmade solid wood lamps using wood turned in the UK and assembled by me before being wired up by a local electrician.

Local Craft Fairs

Pre COVID-19, most of my sales were made at local craft fairs and county fairs with only a few sales through online sites such as Etsy.

As a result of the pandemic my online sales have grown 2400% on Etsy, I have opened my own website, www.steffieandco.uk, and I am receiving enquiries and orders through Instagram.

As people seek to improve their homes this has had a positive effect on my business.

Through 2021, I would like to develop my lampbase business more and continue to increase sales of my handmade lampshades. It would be pleasing to get more orders through my developing website.

Enjoying Running Her Business

The best thing for me about running my own business is the flexibility it gives me. If I need or want to take time out, I can. I also enjoy working on different projects every day. No two days are the same.

I would advise people looking to set up to do lots of research, look at their potential competitors and find your point of differentiation. I had a lot of success early on making lampshades out of maps. My business has developed from there but I am still asked to do them.