Lamp shade

1. Once you have all the materials ready, unroll the  wallpaper and cut off a length of one metre. When cutting and measuring, be sure to work very precisely, otherwise the result will later not fit together correctly and, in the worst case, will look askew. Then measure a 30 cm-wide section of wallpaper, mark it, and cut it off as well.

2. Now, using the cutting pad or a ruler, divide the long sides into 2 cm-wide strips on both sides and carefully mark with a pencil. As this will later be the reverse side, the marks you have drawn will not be visible in the finished result if they are drawn carefully.

3. Divide the narrow sides of the wallcovering into 4 equal parts. Measure 7.5 cm, 15 cm and 22.5 cm and carefully draw a line at each point.

4. This is what the wallcovering should look like. We recommend taking a spot-check measurement again (preferably with a set square) to check if the lines truly run parallel and the spacings are all correct.

5. Now, starting at every second line, draw diagonal lines over the following 3 intersecting lines.

6. Repeat this diagonally in the other direction. Choose the same starting points you selected previously, but this time running the lines in the other direction.

7. Then fold the diagonal lines as precisely as possible (pre-drawn side to pre-drawn side) and press firmly with the folding stick. Scarifying all the pencil lines first with a sharp object or the back of the folding stick can make the lines even more precise and easier to fold. Continue in the same way with the diagonal lines in the other direction.

8. The folds you have created so far are called "valley folds" because they point downwards. Now turn the paper over to work with "mountain folds" that will point up from the pre-drawn side . To do this, fold the non-pre-drawn side onto the other non-pre-drawn side on the parallel lines and make a defined fold.

9. We can start to bend the paper once all the lines have been folded. Start on a long side and use your fingers to make the mountain folds. It is best to go over all the folds again by hand. The paper should fold like an accordion.

10. Finally, choose the long side that will become the top of the lamp shade. Press the mountain folds together that you have worked with your fingers and use punch pliers to punch holes in them.

11. Then you just need to thread through the string. To do this, it is best to press together the mountain fold, as you did when punching the holes, and thread the string through. Gently pull the string together and tie the ends to create the round shape of the lamp shade. Overlap the end edges of the lamp shade so that the folds fit exactly together and fix them in place with a glue stick. Knot the string as tightly as you need it to be. You will get a narrower lamp shade the tighter you pull the ends together. However, adapt the size of the opening to your existing lamp fitting.

HINT: Create the most amazing designs with your choice of wallcovering! Just browse the designs in our Novaboss collection at www.erfurt.com