About Us

We are passionate about lampshade making because we have been involved in the industry for such a long time — our business was founded in 1982 in Hackney, East London, as Martin Dannell & Co Ltd. The Company manufactured a broad range of lampshade making products and provided many services for the vibrant manufacturers who used to supply the retailers back in the day.

Dannells Today

We now operate from a 20,000 sq ft factory in Essex and employ about 30 dedicated staff, most of whom have been with the Company for decades. We are proud to be a British manufacturer. We have always been known as Dannells and changed our name to Dannells Limited when our founder Martin Dannell retired. Martin is very wisely spending much less time with us and far more time on holiday and the business is today run by Jamie Dannell & David Little, and their staff. Jamie & David have been with the companies for nearly 40 years and have vast experience in the industry.

We love the creativity of new designs, interacting with artistic and productive people and we also try hard to educate people on how to make lampshades themselves, either to coordinate with their home or for their friends or family or business. We have started a very successful forum that offers lampshade makers knowledge support and inspiration.

As a UK-based manufacturer of more than 40 years and a member of Made In Britain, Dannells is proud to support UK manufacturing businesses and nurture the next generations of lampshade makers.

Find out more about the history, products and ethos of Dannells in this interview with one of our directors, Jamie Dannell.

We work on many different levels with a wide range of individuals and groups including the public, designers, entrepreneurs, retailers, tradespeople, schools and educational establishments who may need some friendly help and technical advice.  We speak with everyone, so if you need any help at any time you can call us, we would be pleased to help in any way we can.

A Trusted Partner

Dannells Limited is a well-established and reputable company that provides high-quality products and supplies and excellent customer service. Its commitment to innovation and quality has made it a trusted name in the industry and a favourite among lampshade makers and manufacturers worldwide.

Needcraft

Our British creative lighting brand, Needcraft, was born from 50 years of experience serving the lighting industry worldwide. By taking our expertise of manufacturing quality engineered materials, we’ve created professional kits for crafters and DIY enthusiasts to make their own lampshades using coverings to match their interiors or room theme, all made in the historic town of Waltham Abbey in England. Designed to fit the most popular US, UK and European lamp holders and pendant fittings, all of our Lampshade Making Kits include easy-to-follow photo instructions with plenty of tips and tricks for easy assembly, making them ideal projects for beginner crafters as well as professional makers. Most importantly, our professional-grade components are also tested to be Safe, Fire-Resistant and have Anti-Static and Anti-Yellowing properties.

Stick-It

We manufacture an exclusive range of specialist self-adhesive lampshade materials in a vast variety of attractive finishes that are used in retail lighting products and commercial installations worldwide.

From hobbyists to manufacturers - We have products for everyone.

Retailers

Our Needcraft Individual kits are ideal for retailers and perfect for haberdashery merchants - an excellent product for selling fabric stock.

Manufacturers

Everything you need to make your own lampshades for retail or commercial projects - supplied at the most competitive rates.

Workshops, Schools and Colleges

Our workshop packs offer the opportunity for participants to do something sociable and crafty, with the brilliant bonus of learning a new skill and going away with a professional product made with their own fabric and their own hands. Many people who have started with workshops have gone on to build successful, thriving and fulfilling lampshade-making businesses.

Dannells provides an array of lampshade manufacturing services and has developed an enviable reputation as an extremely reliable and consistent partner for manufacturers worldwide.

Through our expert team and state-of-the-art machinery, we are able to offer the following services:

• Lampshade Panel Fabric Printing
• Large Format Flat-bed Cutting
• Soft and Rigid Fabric Pleating
• Lamination
• Commercial Printing