There are two places to use leather lamp shades depending on the style of the shade. These shades come in styles that either suit rustic homes or ultra contemporary ones.
Rustic leather lamp shades are either made of tanned leather or of rawhide. They often have obvious stitching on the outside with lacing in thick leather and they are very natural looking which fits in with a rustic or country style home. With these lamp shades you would normally choose very natural colors too such as brown, sand, beige or rust or subdued shades of red or green. These colors normally fit in very well with country decor without any problem. As well as looking good with rustic style decoration, these lamps also go particularly well with the ethnic style of decor known as southwestern or Native American and they are the most suitable of all lamp shades for this style. Bases reflect the rustic style of these shades and may be in materials such as carved wood or stone, wrought iron or beaten metal.
Contemporary leather lamp shades on the other hand, are best in homes which are about as far apart as you can get from rustic style. In this case, leather shades take on a sleek sophisticated look which goes well with minimalist interiors, leather seating and chrome. Leather is used to cover shades in large simple shapes like the cylindrical shape of drum shades or those which are square or rectangular in form. Here you will find leather lamp shades accompanied by very simple lamp bases in sophisticated materials such as natural stone, polished chrome (or other polished metal) and glass.
Most of the contemporary leather shades, however are made of imitation leather rather than the genuine article as this is easier to care for and does not get brittle and dry out from the heat of the lamp. You will also find similar shades in faux suede which gives the lamp an interesting texture too.