Spotlight: International Shades

As many lighting showrooms and interior designers know, finding just the right quality lampshades can be like a hunt for the Holy Grail. Over the last 10 to 20 years, the industry has lost quite a few venerable shade manufacturers. One of those casualties could have been International Shades — almost.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Cindy Caudle, who operated an antique store and interior design firm, was a happy customer of the 30-year-old manufacturer International Shades. As an interior designer, she had an appreciation for fashion and upholstery and has logged more than 50 trips to England and Europe to source fabric, furniture, and other products for her business.   

Over two decades, she and the owner of International Shades became such good friends that they would even rent a house together in High Point during market. Nine years ago, when the owner mentioned to Caudle that she wanted to retire, in practically the next breath, she said, “You should buy this business.” Caudle recounts, “I looked at her, thought a moment, and said, ‘I think I will!’” And sure enough within two months, Caudle secured a warehouse and was ready to take International Shades to the next level.

Caudle’s plan for International Shades was to differentiate the assortment by bringing in her own textile designs. The company was already known for quality shades in neutral colors (white, eggshell, etc) and traditional styles such as knifepleat and hardback, but Caudle believed she could elevate the brand with some proprietary looks.

“It took me five to six months to talk the factory [overseas] into doing it,” she admits. The factory was reluctant to try a new path from what it had been doing for International Shades for decades. Fortunately, Caudle’s perseverance won out. She hand-draws all of her designs. “I’m old school; I don’t do CAD,” she comments. She would dutifully send Pantone colors to her supplier with her designs and they would mill the fabric.

Inspiration for her designs can come from anywhere. “I might see a border on a rug in England, France, or India or perhaps on a skirt during a fashion runway show,” she explains. Those fragments of inspiration can then take shape in a whole new direction when it comes to creating fabric for her lampshades.  

Caudle credits her degree in business administration with helping her navigate the entrepreneurial aspects of running a small company. Her fabric lampshades caught the eyes of Jim and Phoebe Howard of Mr. & Mrs. Howard for Sherrill Furniture fame, who used her designs with International Shades in their Hamilton Wrenn showroom space at High Point Market.  

This past Fall High Point Market, International Shades had a booth in the Suites at Market Square building. Caudle says her customer base is comprised of lighting showrooms, retail stocking dealers, interior designers, and e-commerce.