Shades of Toepfer

At Ferdinand, the glare of the light bulb is inspiration

By Tanya Whiton

FERDINAND, 243 Congress St., Portland, (207) 761-2151. Open Thurs. through Sat. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At Ferdinand, the glare of the light bulb is inspiration.

You can attempt to walk by the all-glass storefront without turning your head, but it’s impossible. There is something irresistibly alluring about the ever-changing combination of colors, shapes, and sizes that comprise the lampshades found in the window of Ferdinand.

Fluid, white outlines of oversized flowers on a vibrant, red background fill a medium-sized, drum-shaped shade. A smaller shade constructed from a vintage, plaid dishcloth sports a hand-stitched, pink teapot grimacing at two smiling purple teacups. A third shade mimics a tuxedo in simple, yet formal, black and white, complete with a decorative fringe.

I horde and collect things that eventually come out in some project,” says Ferdinand co-owner/designer Diane Toepfer. Her studio space is filled with bags of material, shelves, cups, and books full of potential papers, backings, and wallpaper samples. In creating the shades, new and vintage fabrics are backed by a flame-resistant fabric or paper that diffuse light. Assorted doodads and whatnot are applied. Finally the materials are wrapped around their selected metal framework.

Toepfer and her co-owner husband, Ron Harrity, moved to Maine from the West Coast last summer. By fall, they had turned one of the many shops on the Hill into a studio workspace and retail store. While in California, Toepfer began her artistic career making gift tags and eccentric headdresses. Then, a friend encouraged her to do things on a larger scale and taught Toepfer how to make the lampshades for which she has become known throughout the Portland design set.

“It’s hard to find a good lampshade out there,” says Toepfer. “They’re so neutral.” Straying from the typical format, Toepfer delves into shapes like the drum, oval, cone, bell, and hexagon. “It’s been very fun trying to make stuff that I would want in my own home,” she says. And at a reasonable price you can have them in your home, too. Large shades generally sell for $45, and small for $20.

“The best lampshade I ever made was this 1910 antique fabric that I hated cutting up,” says Toepfer. “It was a brown-caramel color with strange pink and orange flowers. I saved every scrap.”

Soon to be taking a course on screen-printing fabric at Maine College of Art, Toepfer looks forward to making her work even more authentically her own.

And it doesn’t stop at lampshades. Toepfer also makes accordion books, marbleized paper, fans, aprons, and screen-prints her own cards and stationary. She also carries pillows, pottery, jewelry, and books by other designers, local and abroad. It’s a great stop for one-of-a-kind items like Scott Mulleberg’s rubber-bound journals, or Martha Kearsley’s hardbound blank books that have “Rat Bastard” or “Rumor” as the cover title. Toepfer also uses her space to host First Friday Art Walk openings.

“Most of my business is by word-of-mouth,” says Toepfer. “It’s nice on this block because everyone is so new it helps to have each other to refer customers.”

When asked what her disadvantages are, Toepfer, like many a small-business owner, says, “Not having enough time is the biggest thing, and working on a shoestring budget.” But there’s always an upside: “It’s been fun staying small,” says Toepfer. “It’s really flexible right now.” Being a one-woman venture, Toepfer is only open three days a week for the time being, but like all good owner-operated businesses, if she’s working back in the studio she hangs a “Please knock” sign in the window if she’s available.