Today we’d like to introduce you to Zuka Zeqiri.
Hi Zuka , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Zuka Zeqiri. I am originally from Macedonia, I am Albaninan, and I am the founder of ZZ Lampshades. I am also a mother of two beautiful children, and in many ways, my journey as an entrepreneur is deeply intertwined with my journey as a mother, a caregiver, and a survivor.
My path into design began after the birth of my daughter. Like many new mothers, I wanted to create a space that felt soft, warm, and deeply personal for her nursery—a place filled with meaning and intention. I spent a long time searching for the right pieces, something delicate yet unique, something that felt handmade rather than mass-produced. But I couldn’t find what I had in my heart and imagination. That gap between what I was looking for and what existed became a turning point for me. Instead of continuing to search, I decided to create it myself. What started as a simple desire for my child’s room slowly grew into something much larger—a creative calling I could no longer ignore.
Creativity has always been present in my life, even before I recognized it fully. I grew up surrounded by design through my mother and sister, who were both deeply skilled in the world of fabrics, tailoring, and couture. As a child, I watched them transform simple materials into something meaningful and beautiful. From them, I learned that true craftsmanship requires patience, discipline, and love. Nothing is rushed. Every stitch matters. Every detail carries intention. That understanding stayed with me and continues to guide everything I create today.
Alongside this creative foundation, I pursued a degree in mathematics, which at first may seem unrelated, but has become an essential part of how I see design. Mathematics taught me to understand structure, balance, symmetry, and patterns. It taught me to see beauty in precision and order. When I design lampshades, I am not only thinking about fabric and form—I am thinking about proportion, alignment, geometry, and harmony. My work naturally reflects this blend of softness and structure, where creativity meets logic in a very intentional way.
As ZZ Lampshades began to grow, I found myself falling deeper in love with the process of making lampshades specifically. There is something incredibly grounding about it—the measuring, the cutting, the shaping, the careful layering of materials. And then that moment when everything comes together, and a simple piece of fabric becomes something that transforms a space with light and warmth. I especially love working with textures and fabrics that carry a sense of elegance and comfort, and I put a great deal of care into selecting every material that I use.
My journey, however, has not been without its hardships. At 29, an unexpected cancer diagnosis completely altered the course of my life. While teaching high school mathematics in Kumanovo, Macedonia, I was suddenly thrust into a battle for my survival. The weight of everyday life slowed to an uncertain crawl, leaving me with days where strength felt impossibly distant and the future entirely unclear.
Yet even in that season, I continued to create—sometimes in very small ways. Designing, working with my hands, focusing on something beautiful and tangible became a form of grounding for me. In the middle of hospital visits, treatments, exhaustion, and fear, creativity gave me moments of peace. It reminded me that I was still here. Still capable. Still building something meaningful, even in fragments of time.
That chapter changed me profoundly. It taught me not only resilience, but also gratitude in its deepest form. It reshaped how I see time, work, motherhood, and purpose. It made every small step forward feel significant. And it gave even more meaning to the idea of creating something by hand—because I understood more than ever how precious time and presence truly are.
What began as a creative outlet has now become ZZ Lampshades—a small business that carries so much of my heart, my story, and my identity within it. Every piece I create is deeply personal to me, because I know it will become part of someone’s home, their memories, their everyday life. Whether it is a nursery, a living room, or a quiet corner of a house, I feel honored that something I made by hand becomes part of that space.
My customers mean a great deal to me. Many come to me during meaningful life moments—welcoming a child, creating a home, or searching for something special that feels made just for them. I never take that lightly. My goal is always to create something that feels intentional, thoughtful, and filled with care.
Today, I continue to grow ZZ Lampshades with everything that has shaped me—my roots in Macedonia, my Armenian heritage, creativity passed down through family, the discipline of mathematics, the strength learned through motherhood, and the resilience earned through some of life’s most difficult moments. I am proud of how far it has come, not because it has been easy, but because it has been built through every part of my story—both the light and the difficult seasons.
And I am still growing, still learning, and still creating—one lampshade at a time.
You can view my shops here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZZDecor?utm_source=chatgpt.com
zzcustomdesign.com
Please feel free to book a time to visit my shop here
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817-737-0123
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a completely smooth road, and I don’t think most meaningful creative journeys are. Building ZZ Lampshades while also raising a family has been deeply rewarding, but it has also come with many challenges that have shaped both me and my business.
In the beginning, one of the biggest challenges was learning everything on my own—how to turn a creative idea into a structured process, how to work with different materials, and how to develop consistent techniques that would produce high-quality results every time. There was a lot of trial and error, especially when it came to sourcing the right fabrics, understanding materials, and refining the technical side of lampshade making. I had to teach myself many things along the way, often through experimentation, patience, and persistence.
Another challenge has been growth—both personal and professional. As a small business owner, there is always something new to learn: pricing, sourcing, managing orders, photography, marketing, and simply finding the confidence to share my work publicly. Growing a business from the ground up requires wearing many hats, and there were moments where it felt overwhelming to figure everything out independently.
Balancing this with motherhood has also been a significant part of my journey. With two children, my time is limited and often unpredictable, so I’ve had to learn how to build ZZ Lampshades in small, intentional steps. That has taught me patience and consistency, even when progress feels slow.
My background has also shaped my experience in meaningful ways. I am originally from Macedonia and I am Albanian, and coming from a different cultural and immigrant background has given me both strength and perspective. It has also meant learning how to adapt, integrate, and build something for myself in a new environment. That journey has not always been easy, but it has made me more resilient and determined.
Despite all these challenges, each one has contributed to my growth. The difficulties with sourcing and learning made me more skilled and resourceful. The challenges of balancing everything made me more focused and intentional. And the experience of building something from the ground up has made me more confident in my vision and my work.
Looking back, I see these struggles not as obstacles, but as an essential part of the story of ZZ Lampshades—one that continues to evolve every day.
As you know, we’re big fans of ZZ Lampshades . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
ZZ Lampshades is a handmade design studio specializing in custom lampshades and decorative lighting pieces that bring warmth, personality, and character into a home. Each piece is created with a strong focus on craftsmanship, detail, and thoughtful design, blending function with aesthetic beauty.
What I specialize in most is creating unique, fabric-based lampshades that are both decorative and meaningful. Many of my designs are inspired by nursery décor, soft interiors, and geometric balance, which naturally comes from my background in mathematics and my love for structured patterns. I enjoy working with textures, fabrics, and shapes that allow light to interact in a soft and elegant way, transforming a space through something as simple as a lampshade.
What sets ZZ Lampshades apart is the handmade and highly personal nature of every piece. Nothing is mass-produced. Each lampshade is carefully measured, cut, and assembled by hand, with attention given to every detail—from fabric selection to proportions and finishing touches. I approach each order as a custom experience, ensuring that the final piece reflects the customer’s space and vision as closely as possible.
My work is also deeply influenced by my personal story and background. Growing up surrounded by design through my mother and sister, I learned early on the importance of craftsmanship and detail. Combined with my mathematical training, this has shaped a style that is both creative and precise—where structure and softness meet.
What I am most proud of as a brand is the emotional connection my pieces create in people’s homes. Many of my customers come to me during special life moments—decorating nurseries, refreshing a space, or looking for something meaningful and handmade—and it means a lot to know that my work becomes part of their everyday environment and memories.
At its core, ZZ Lampshades is about more than lighting. It is about creating atmosphere, warmth, and individuality in a home. My goal is to continue offering pieces that feel personal, intentional, and made with care—objects that are not just decorative, but also tell a story.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The quality I feel is most important to my success is persistence.
Building ZZ Lampshades has required me to learn so many things from the ground up—design techniques, sourcing materials, refining my craft, and also managing the business side of everything. There were many moments where things didn’t work out the first time, whether it was a design not holding its shape the way I wanted, or not being able to find the right materials, or simply feeling overwhelmed by everything I still needed to learn. In those moments, persistence is what kept me going.
I also think patience plays a big role in that persistence. Because I am a mother of two, and because I am building everything myself, I’ve learned that growth doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve had to accept that I may not move as quickly as I would like, but consistency and showing up every day—no matter how small the step—builds real progress over time.
Creativity is important, of course, but for me it only becomes meaningful when it is supported by discipline and follow-through. Persistence has allowed me to keep refining my craft, keep improving my designs, and keep believing in my vision even when the journey felt uncertain.
Ultimately, I believe success comes from continuing even when things are not perfect. That mindset has shaped both me and ZZ Lampshades into what it is today.
Pricing:
- Teal Velvet Drum Lampshade-Velvet Lamp Shade- Lampshade-Custom Made-To-Order-Home Decor-Table Lamp-Designer Lampshade-Gold Velvet Decor- $199.20+
- 2 shades Com Fitting – Designer Tortoiseshell Paper Sconce Shades -Gold Lining- $235.00
- Animal Print Sconce Shade: Periodit Les Touches Fabric, Gold Lining- $89.70+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zzcustomdesign.com/ and https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZZDecor
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zzcustomdesign/
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