We’ve blogged before about the wonderful shade designs from A’ Homestead Shoppe. Located in the small, northern Indiana town of La Paz, the company has made a reputation with its homey, folk-art style shades and lighting. We talked with product development team member Cathy Clough to learn more about the company and its products.

Q: It’s wonderful that A' Homestead Shoppe is located in a small farming town. Where does the name of the company come from?

A: The company was started in 1974 by President and owner, Bruce Albert. Bruce’s passion for antiques and his innate ability to design product quickly formed a company that has become a leader in the lighting, lampshade and home accents industry. The “A” stands for Albert and the “Homestead” is the geographic setting of the unique corporate environment that AHSI offers its staff, sales representatives and customers. Located on the original Albert farm, corporate offices are uniquely housed in its renovated 1873 circa barn and thousands of different products are warehoused in auxiliary homestead buildings.

Q: My parents are from Tipton, Indiana, not all that far from La Paz. The motifs and visual look of your shades remind me of my childhood trips through the area. How have the traditions of the region inspired your designs?

A: We have a unique situation in that we are “smack” in the middle of farming country and the region known as the “Crossroads of America”, but are also only 2 hours from Chicago with its very urban contemporary big city lifestyle. Although the company was started on the strength of our country look and influenced heavily by our Amish neighbors, more recently we have also created the more traditional and contemporary designs influenced by our proximity to the big city. We also have an awesome product development team who has a great passion for fabrics and the latest trends in the gift and home decorating industry.

Q: What is your favorite new design trend?

A: The trend toward what the industry is calling “countryopolitan” has been great for us. The product, whether a lamp or shade, still has the “homey” country feel but is so much more upscale and trendy and will fit in any décor. The trend in shades with new shapes (drums, rounded corner squares and elongated bells) has also been fun and finding just the right fabrics and in the hot new colors is always a challenge. Again, our design team does a great job of meeting the customer’s expectations for what is “in” at the moment.

Q: What’s the biggest design mistake people make when choosing a new lamp shade?

A: There is not one specific design mistake but usually people have a hard time getting the correct size or fitting for their particular lamp. Fitting a lampshade washer fitting on a harp with a finial can be tricky. The shade should not overwhelm the base but also must be long enough to cover all hardware at the top of the base. Correct measurements as to the width and height of the shade are very important in fitting the shade correctly.

Probably the other mistake that is made is that customers have a hard time deciding not only the size, but the shape and fabric that will best fit their décor. We have seen a huge demand for more neutral shades. We have tried to accommodate the customer with more neutral tones with some interest in the fabric (a nubby texture or a little embroidery) so that they feel more comfortable in matching with their personal décor.

Q: What's next for your company? Any new designs on the horizon?

A: We are always looking for the next “pet rock with a plug” as our owner is fond of saying. In this economic environment it can be perplexing to appear fresh and new and yet not fall into the craze of the latest fad that will not be around for long. We try to stay on top of the things we think will be more enduring. We love working with furniture stores and decorators for looks that will last but also love our line of novelty lamps that helped to build the company and that our gift store owners have come to depend on us to provide for them. We have had much success with horses, snowmen, roosters and all the fun shades that go with them!!