Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Man's Lampshade Making Hobby Pays Off

What started out as an accent piece to his South Wilkes-Barre apartment inspired a seven-year (and counting) hobby for Rob Karmonick, 39, of Wilkes-Barre: a hobby that is starting to pay off.

Karmonick, who now owns a home with two roommates in the Heights section of the city, purchased his first lamp from a Shavertown shop in 1999. A friend had purchased one from a show in Atlantic City, NJ. The vendor's card noted she was from Shavertown. So, Karmonick looked her up. With lamps so delicately ornate, they could be pricey. And since he wanted more, he opted to learn the craft.

"Instead of spending money on the lamps, I invested the money back into myself," he said.

Karmonick spent his 1999 tax return and a week's paid-vacation time on the private, intensive training course from Dee Dee Corery at her Shavertown studio. Corey a nationally-known artist has been featured on HGTV and has made shades for movie sets and celebrities.

"Dee Dee inspired me. Her talent is beyond words," Karmonick said. adding that it took him a while to learn the craft. "You learn as you go. Each shade is different; square, round, oval. You learn that certain materials only go on certain shades. I am still learning to this day."

Corey, who now lives in Florida, thinks fondly of Karmonick.

"Every teacher knows that the teaching of a craft is more than inspiring the student to see the design in every ingredient. It is also helping them mechanically stretch the fabric so that it comes alive on the lampshade frame and highlight the room that it was matched to for that room style," said Corey.

Corey and Karmonick agree that these type of shades are designed to be accent pieces, not necessarily functional lighting.

"Lampshades are art that adorn a light bulb and make a room glow," said Corey.
And glowing is what Karmonick's Height's home does at nightfall.

"When you drive by our house at night, we have all the lights on. It is very subtle lighting, nice low-lighting for decorating," he said. He added that he only keeps 15-20 watt bulbs in his shades and says anything higher than 40 watts could burn the material.

Creating

When one catches a glimpse of Karmonick's creations, one would think they were indeed vintage finds. While perhaps on a vintage base, the shades are brand new, but inspired by the Victorian-era.

"The Queen Anne look seems to be sliding away. But I hope to keep that look. It's the look I like," he said, adding that a Victorian shade in a modern home could inspire a whole room.

Karmonick never sketches a plan for his shades, and never really has a format when stocking supplies. He's more spontaneous, picking up a fabric here or there. And, many times those fabrics serve as inspiration for his next piece. He says that he uses a lot of silk, lace and velvet which are not derived solely from craft store fabric rolls. Rather, much of his material comes from new and used clothing, curtains and even fancy wedding dresses.

"I was just at Sears and they had ladies shirts made of burnt velvet on clearance. That's usually hard to find and expensive, so I had to scoop it up," he said. "My mother and sister find things for me too."

Coloring is another huge part of shade-making.

"Pink was hot when I first started making these, so I have a lot of pink," he said. Now, he likes reds and greens. "Not the bold Crayola colors, but soft and subtle colors." Shades dotting tables around Karmonick's home include purples, soft greens, magentas and of course, those early pinks.

Karmonick does visit craft stores for thread, fringes and dyes and special orders his silks and glass beads. However, beads too come from the most unlikely of sources.

"I once found a ladies glass purse at a flea market. I ripped it apart and took all the beads off, and restrung them all onto fringes," he said.

Other items that can be found on his shades include ribbon and peacock feathers. Each shade contains different shapes and sizes of panels, which means Karmonick keeps every scrap, no matter how small.

"I never throw anything away. The tiniest piece could be used somewhere along the line," he said.

But- all of the fabric and trimmings would be nothing without a canvas. Many would be surprised to know that his beautiful creations were once sitting at flea markets tattered with water stains. While he can buy the metal frames new in a variety of shapes, he often purchases shades at flea markets and bazaars.

"I strip them down to the wire, make sure there is no rust and just start creating," he said of his process.

Karmonick recently purchased a butterfly and top hat shaped frame; he is eager to start both. However, his favorite shape is the bell.

"I love doing these," he said, pointing to his latest shade- a creamy lace and gold trimmed shade on a retro-cream and gold base. "The bell-shaped are very rich looking."

It's surprising just how many shapes of shades there are: round, bell, tulip, watermelon, oval, square, rectangle and more, and yet in all sizes.

"One of my goals is to create a billiard lamp shade. There is so much work to it; I can just vision it," he said.

Once the shades are complete, they need somewhere to go. Many times, a base could inspire a shade, however Karmonick has many shades without bases as well; they are waiting for the right 'home.' He says it's tougher to find older floor lamp bases so he sticks to Tiffany-style or marble table lamp bases. Although, when he makes a find he will create shades for floor lamps and bridge arm lamps. Over the years Karmonick found several treasures: matching moonstone table, floor and bridge arm lamp bases for which he made matching pink shades. In fact, one base he found ready to for garbage pick up, the pink stone spray painted black.

The time it takes Karmonick to finish a shade greatly varies.

"It takes hours to do a creative shade. I'll do them while I watch TV," he said. A quick glance at the shades show the intricate details; sure to be a time-consuming project. For example, each beaded-fringe was hand-strung by Karmonick, with many of the lamps containing hundreds of stranded and thousands of bands, literally fancy-handwork.

The combination of fabric and how it is pulled and sewn (fans, rosettes, pleats), the trimmings, the shape and base all factor in to make each creation unique, all which Corey says demands talent.

"(Rob) is a very dedicated young man and very talented. It takes a lot of devotion for an artist to take a piece of fabric and twist and turn it into a work of art. And even more of a talent to combine soft or vivid colors with the flair of folded silks, velvets, and beads," he said.

Karmonick's signature on the inside frame completes each shade.

Sharing

A frequent entertainer, Karmonick often has friends, neighbors and co-workers over. The lamp shades are an obvious conversation starter. In fact, at this year's holiday party, people flocked around them.

"I get a lot of compliments. People are amazed that they are hand-made," said Karmonick. So, amazed, he says that they want one to call their own. "As I work on shades, people who come to the house will say, 'I'll take that one when you're done.'"

As if the concept of these shades aren't unique enough, Karmonick never makes the same shade twice.

"I just sit down and visualize. I never want to make the same shade done twice. So I focus on making a different pleat, rosette and coloring. A lot of thinking goes into each shade," he said. "They are all totally original."

The only exception is if he is making a pair of shades for a set, or for a bridge arm lamp, which requires two shades. He says he once made a set for a pharmacist.

"They are two identical shades and were hard to make at the same time," he said.

At first, it was a hobby. But word has got out, and orders are coming in. Karmonick now hopes to one day have a shop.

"(A demand) is out there. People have Victorian homes in Wilkes-Barre," he said, adding that the shades would make great accents for funeral homes too.

But for now, he is making them in his living room, dining room, kitchen and basement and is going to put his first lamps on Ebay soon. If someone says they are interested in a shade, Karmonick likes to visit their home to get inspired. Things like a client's couch or curtains give him a start.

"Rob has that vision to be inspired by every piece of fabric and the talent to visualize the appropriate look for each project. I am very proud to have been a help and a footstep in his career. I have had this passion for more than 20 years now and wish for him many more years of success.," said Corey.

But Karmonick is humble about his talent.

"I don't call myself an artist. It's just a little hobby," he said.

For more information on Rob Karmonick's lamp designs, call 826-0552 or e-mail him at rjjk24@aol.com.