All workshops
150 minutes14 and upBeginner — no experience needed

Make a Ceramic Lampshade in Dharamshala

Build a clay lampshade: pierce it so the light throws a pattern across the room, or ruffle the rim into soft waves like a glazed petal.

A two-and-a-half-hour ceramic lampshade workshop at Mita Pottery Studio in Rakkar, Dharamshala. You build a clay shade, pierced or ruffled, and finish it your way. ₹2,800 per person with up to 1 kg of clay, glaze, firing and a pendant lamp holder included. Ready to collect 3–6 weeks later.

Illustration of a pierced white ceramic pendant lampshade casting dots of light across a wallIllustration

Duration

150 minutes — 120 min making, 30 min clean-up

Group size

Up to 3 guests

Price

₹2,800 / person

Firing

Clay, glaze and firing included

Skill level

Beginner — no experience needed

Age

14 and up

Takeaway

After firing · 3–6 weeks

What you'll take home

Illustration of an unlit white dome lampshade with small hand-pierced holesIllustration
Size
About 20–25 cm across
Clay
Up to 1 kg of stoneware
Fitting
Pendant lamp holder included; LED bulbs only

Illustration. Yours will be shaped by your own hands.

Before you book

  • Glazing takes 3–6 weeks

    Two firings, so finished pieces are ready 3–6 weeks later.

  • Glaze & firing included

    The price covers clay, glaze and both firings; shipping & handling is ₹350 a piece.

  • Fees are non-refundable

    Fixed rates, no discounts, and no refunds — including no-shows.

  • Handmade, not commercial

    Beginner pieces sometimes break in the making — that's normal.

  • Trimming and shaping can't be promised

    Uneven first-attempt walls can't always be trimmed — we try, no guarantees.

  • Extra time is ₹1,500/hour

    Sessions run for the booked duration; longer is ₹1,500 an hour.

Full studio terms are below — worth two minutes before you request a slot.

Request a slot

Tell us when suits you. We'll confirm the exact time and hold your spot on WhatsApp — usually within a few hours.

1 · Preferred date

Leave it blank if you'd rather we suggest a date.

2 · Time that suits you
3 · Guests
1

₹2,800 × 1₹2,800Glaze & firing included

4 · Your name & note
Preview your message
Hi Mita Pottery Studio! I'd like to request a workshop slot.

*Workshop:* Ceramic Lampshade (150 minutes)
*Preferred date:* Flexible — suggest a date
*Preferred time:* Flexible — any time
*Guests:* 1 · ₹2,800 total, glaze & firing included
*Name:* —

Sent from the workshop page on mitapottery.com
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Prefer to call? +91 88796 54294

A lampshade is the most dramatic thing you can make in an afternoon. In daylight it is a quiet, textured dome. At night it fills the room with whatever you carved into it: a scatter of stars, a ring of leaves, a lattice.

It is one of the largest pieces on the menu, close to a kilo of clay, and takes the studio's biggest kiln shelf.

What you'll do

You roll a slab and drape it over a form to get the dome or cone shape, then smooth and even the wall. Madhumita shows you how to mark out a pattern with a soft pencil and how to pierce it with hole cutters of different sizes, working while the clay is firm enough to hold an edge but soft enough to cut cleanly.

You finish the rim, cut the opening for the fitting, and choose a glaze: inside only, outside only, or left partly raw so the clay shows. After firing, the studio fits a pendant lamp holder.

The session, step by step

  1. 01Welcome, chai, and finished shades to look at, lit
  2. 02Roll a slab and drape it over the form
  3. 03Smooth the wall and set the rim
  4. 04Mark the pattern
  5. 05Pierce and carve
  6. 06Cut the fitting opening, choose a glaze

The session, in motion

  • Hands rolling clay flat with a wooden rolling pin

    An even thickness

  • Two terracotta lanterns carved with pierced floral patterns

    Piercing, as another maker does it

  • Unglazed cups and dishes stacked on shelves inside a kiln

    Into the kiln

Ideas to start from

Directions guests often take. Bring one, mix two, or arrive with nothing and decide at the table.

  • Illustration of a cone-shaped ceramic shade with leaf-shaped cut-outsIllustration

    Leaf cut-outs

  • Illustration of a lit ceramic shade pierced in a lattice of small trianglesIllustration

    A jaali lattice

  • Illustration of a ribbed celadon dome shade with a ring of small holesIllustration

    Ribbed, a single ring

  • Illustration of a ruffled grey-white ceramic pendant lampshade with a brass fittingIllustration

    Ruffled, like a petal

What's included

Up to 1 kg of clay, all tools and hole cutters, guidance throughout, chai, both firings and a pendant lamp holder fitted after firing. Glaze and firing are included.

Wear & bring

A pattern idea if you have one (a photo works). Clothes you don't mind getting dusty.

Who this is for

Anyone furnishing a home or a homestay, people who want one statement piece rather than several small ones, and second-time potters ready for something bigger.

Meet Madhumita

Madhumita founded Studio Mita in Rakkar and teaches every session herself. Small tables, one person guiding six at most, and time to get the detail right rather than rushing to the clean-up.

— ceramic artist & founder, Studio Mita

Read her full story

Studio terms

What to expect, in full

These apply to every session at the studio. Please read them before requesting a slot — booking means you're happy with them.

Glazing takes 3–6 weeks

Glazing involves two separate firings, so your piece is ready 3–6 weeks after the session. We'll message you as soon as it's out of the kiln — there's no need to follow up before then, as firing times can't be sped up regardless of check-ins. Pieces not collected within one month of being ready are discarded, as we have limited storage space.

Glaze & firing included

Yes. The workshop price covers the session, your clay allowance, tools, guidance, glaze and both firings — there is nothing to pay per piece afterwards. Each workshop's price is set by the piece you make: how much clay it takes and how much kiln space. Studio pickup is free; if you'd like your finished piece sent to you, shipping & handling within India is ₹350 per piece.

Fees are non-refundable

Our rates are fixed and don't include discounts. Fees are non-refundable, including no-shows and cancellations.

Handmade, not commercial

This is studio pottery — handmade, one piece at a time, with natural variation from one piece to the next. It won't look like the smooth, uniform finish of commercial ceramics, and that's the point, not a flaw. Since workshop pieces are made by beginners, breakage during the process — while shaping, drying, or firing — is a real possibility, not a rare exception. Glaze results can also vary. This is a normal part of learning pottery, and the studio isn't responsible for pieces that don't survive the process.

Trimming and shaping can't be promised

Whether a piece can be trimmed and shaped properly depends entirely on how it was made. First attempts rarely come out at a consistent thickness, and walls that are uneven — too thin in one place, too heavy in another — can't always be trimmed to a clean profile without the piece collapsing or cracking. We'll always try our best to shape and trim what you've made, but we can't guarantee the outcome. Please don't come expecting commercial-grade perfection from a first build; the wobble is the honest record of your own hands.

Extra time is ₹1,500/hour

Sessions run for the booked duration. Additional time beyond that is ₹1,500 per hour.

What the session covers

Extra requests like jewellery, charms, or pieces outside the workshop scope aren't included — the same goes for underglazing and choosing specific glaze colours. All of it can be discussed as a separate add-on booking if you're interested, so do ask.

Your pace, your piece

Everyone's creative pace is different. We'll guide you through the process, but pottery takes practice — we don't guarantee a specific outcome, and that's part of what makes each piece genuinely yours.

Damage in transit

Pieces are packaged carefully, but we're not responsible for damage once they leave the studio.

Photography at the studio

We may photograph the studio and finished pieces for our social media. Let us know if you'd prefer not to be included.

More about this workshop

Is the electrical fitting included?

Yes, a pendant lamp holder is fitted after firing. Connecting it to your ceiling should be done by an electrician.

What bulb should I use?

An LED bulb only, which stays cool. A warm-white filament-style LED shows the pattern best.

How big is it?

About 20–25 cm across, depending on the form you choose.

Can it be shipped?

Yes, within India for ₹350, packed double-boxed. Collecting from the studio is free.

Do I need experience?

No. It is a bigger piece rather than a harder one; the form does the shaping, and Madhumita guides the piercing.

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Cancellation

Fees are non-refundable, including no-shows and cancellations. Tell us as early as you can if plans change.

Accessibility

The studio is on the 1st floor, stairs only. Call or WhatsApp +91 88796 54294 in advance with accessibility questions.

Getting here

First Floor, Ghoomakkad New Bldg, Rakkar Rd, Rakkar, Himachal Pradesh 176057. Directions

₹2,800/ person

150 minutes · any open day

Request a slot