You have to put this lamp at just the right height.... If you have the lamp on a regular table, you'll be able to see the ugly, inside of the lamp shade and structure from the top. I put mine up on a couple decorative boxes so you can't see it at eye level. The other issue is that the bottom of the shade is too short so you can see the part where the light bulb is/where the body of the flamingo is at most angles. The lamp itself is adorable though! I guess the remedy would just be a different lamp shade.