Entry · Oct 6, 2026
Silk-look, not silk: what our pleated shade is made of
At night the shade is the lamp. Ours is pleated and silk-look, and it is not silk. Here is what it is made of, what it does to the light, and where its limits are.
At night, the shade is the lamp. The bulb disappears; what you see is the glow through the fabric and the shadow it leaves on the wall.
Step into Beacon. Be held by the atmosphere first, then find yourself in it.
The short answer. The shade on our Globe Shuttle Sconce is silk-look fabric: a woven polymer, not silk. It is pleated over a metal frame. It is made to look and glow the way silk does. It is not made from silkworm silk, and we never call it silk.
What silk is
Silk is a protein fibre, spun by silkworms and spiders (review in Frontiers in Chemistry, via the U.S. National Library of Medicine). Only that fibre can carry the name.
What our shade is
- The fabric: a woven polymer with the soft sheen of silk. Our workshop lists the shade's main material as a polymer.
- The shape: pleated over a metal frame. Lit, it reads as a soft globe.
- The light: diffused rather than directional, closer to a lit paper lantern than a spotlight. It comes with a 12W, 3000K warm-white LED bulb.
Colour temperature, given in kelvin, describes how "warm" (yellowish) or "cool" (bluish) white light looks (U.S. Department of Energy, LED Color Characteristics). Ours is sold as warm white.
Why we do not call it silk
In the United States, natural and man-made fibres must be identified by their generic names, and getting the fibre wrong counts as an unfair and deceptive practice (Federal Trade Commission, Threading Your Way). The word "silk" is easy to borrow in a product title. We name what a thing is made of, and what it is not.
Silk and silk-look, side by side
| Silk | Our silk-look shade | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is made from | A protein fibre spun by silkworms | A woven polymer |
| What you see | A soft sheen | A soft sheen, pleated top to bottom |
| What we can tell you | — | What the workshop lists, and what you will see in the video of your exact lamp before it ships |
What it is not
- Not silk. Not mulberry silk, not a silk blend.
- Not lab-tested for fibre content. We report what the workshop lists, so we do not give a percentage or a fibre name beyond "polymer".
- Not UL- or ETL-listed. The sconce plugs into a standard outlet; only the mounting needs drilling, and wall anchors are not included.
Quick questions
Is the shade real silk?
No. It is silk-look fabric, a woven polymer.
Will a US bulb fit?
Yes. The socket is E27 and a US E26 bulb threads in.
Does it need an electrician?
No. It plugs into a standard outlet. It hangs on two keyhole screws, which are supplied.
How do I know what mine looks like?
Before it ships, we send you a video of your exact lamp. It ships only after you say yes.
Choose the shade for the hour it is lit. Know what it is before you do.