An illustrative table lamp with a pleated cotton shade, held on a slender bent brass wire, is the subject of this demo. Choose a shade colour and a size.
Fabric shades have two colours: the one you see in daylight and the one you see when the lamp is on. Oxide red glows warm amber through cotton, olive can turn muddy and ivory becomes almost white. Buyers choosing for a dining room or sitting room are really choosing the evening colour, but most product photography only shows the lamp switched off.
Lighting Configurator demo
Pleated Table Lamp
- Product
- Pleated Table Lamp
- Colour
- Oxide Red
- Size
- Small
Illustrative product. The design and images are generated examples, not a real model for sale.
What you can configure
Oxide red, ivory, sand and olive are shown; navy and charcoal complete the range. The pleats and brass wire are identical in each image, so the shade colour is the only variable. Size, small or large, appears in the summary, though this demo keeps one image size. A production build would also add a lit view per colour, which matters more for this lamp than for most.
- Colour: Oxide Red, Ivory, Sand, Olive
- Size: Small, Large
Why a configurator suits table lamps
Each of the twelve colour and size combinations has a lit and an unlit appearance. That is twenty-four images most retailers never take. A configurator with a simple on and off toggle shows both. It is the clearest way to stop a customer returning a lamp because the shade looked different once switched on.
Pleated shades also sell as separate items. Buyers replace a faded shade, change colour with the season, or buy a shade for a base they already own. A configurator that sells shade and base together, or the shade alone, opens a repeat purchase that a fixed product listing misses.
Size is about the furniture. A small lamp on a deep sideboard looks timid; a large one on a narrow side table looks top-heavy. A sideboard, side table or bedside prompt, with a scaled image, helps buyers pick the size that suits the piece. Interiors shops that also sell furniture can suggest the lamp from a furniture page in the right size.
How a production version would be built
Layering suits a lamp with a fabric shade. The brass wire and base are one fixed layer, and each shade colour is shot both lit and unlit as its own layer, at each size. A new colour then means four images rather than a full reshoot. The retailer supplies shade colours, fabric composition, sizes, shade dimensions, maximum bulb rating and whether shades are sold separately. My guide to how a product configurator works explains layering in plain terms. Spare shades go to the basket as their own product.
Build sheet for this range
- Colours in the full range: 6 (4 shown in this demo)
- Size choices: 2
- Combinations to support: 6 × 2 = 12
- Images for one photograph per combination at 3 angles: 36
- Images if sizes can be shown as separate layers, at 3 angles: 24
- Data each of the 12 combinations needs: a SKU or variant ID, price, stock or lead time, and any dimensions or specification that change
Questions about table lamp configurators
Can the configurator show the shade colour when the lamp is switched on?
Yes. Each colour is photographed lit and unlit from the same position, and a toggle switches between them. For cotton shades this is the most useful feature a configurator can offer, because buyers live with the lit colour far more than the unlit one.
Can customers buy a replacement shade on its own?
Yes. The shade can be a separate product in the configurator, filtered to fit the base and size they own. It suits buyers changing colour or replacing a faded shade, and it brings people back to the shop between larger purchases.
How do you photograph pleats without losing the detail?
Light from the side at a low angle so each fold casts a soft shadow, and keep the camera height consistent across colours. Lit shots need a lower exposure so the pleats still read through the glow. A close-up of the folds near the brass wire is worth including.
Should a pleated lamp configurator offer custom fabrics?
Only if you can make them. Custom fabric requests are better handled as a quote, with the buyer supplying a fabric reference or sample. The configurator can show a neutral placeholder and capture the details, rather than promising a preview it cannot render accurately.
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A configurator for your table lamps
This demo uses an illustrative product. If you sell table lamps, I can build the same experience around your own range, photography and ordering process, connected to Shopify, WooCommerce or a quote workflow. I reply to enquiries within two UK working days.