Floor Lamps: Arc, Tripod & Reading Styles

How to choose floor lamps

Name the job before the style. A reading lamp needs a shade that aims down at a lap and an arm that swings where the chair actually sits. A torchiere throws everything at the ceiling and lifts a whole room without glare. An arc model carries the shade out over a coffee table or a sectional, which is how you light a seating group with no outlet nearby and no wiring in the ceiling.

Then measure the footprint. An arc needs a heavy base, often 12 to 14 inches of marble or cast metal, and that base wants clear floor a foot back from the wall. A tripod eats a wider triangle than the photograph suggests, so check it against a rug edge. A slim column base slides beside a sofa arm or into a bedroom corner, and it is usually the answer in a tight room.

Shade material sets the mood the same way in every room. Linen and paper spread a soft, wide pool. Metal cones and dome shades cut a hard edge and put the light where they point. Glass sits between the two. Last, look at the switch: a foot pedal is easy to find in the dark, an inline rocker on the cord is not, and a dimmer built into the pole earns its place beside a chair.

Height, reach and clearance for floor lamps

These figures come from how people sit rather than from how a lamp photographs. Measure your seat height and the distance to the wall before you shortlist a shape.

Overall height: 58 to 64 inches for a general purpose lamp beside seating.
Torchiere: 68 to 72 inches, so the uplight clears standing eye level.
Reading position: the bottom of the shade at 40 to 42 inches from the floor, level with the shoulder of a seated adult.
Arc reach: 40 to 60 inches of horizontal span, with the shade centered over the seat rather than the table edge.
Base clearance: allow 12 inches between the base and the wall so the pole does not fight the baseboard.

The shade bottom is the number that decides comfort. Too high and a seated reader looks straight into the bulb. Too low and the pool of light lands on the arm of the chair instead of the page. A model with a telescoping pole or a swing arm lets you settle that on site, which beats guessing from a specification sheet.

Which floor lamp for which corner

Lamp type	Best in	What it does	Price here
Arc and curved stems	Over a sofa, over a coffee table	A shade that reaches out over the seating	$109 to $1,599
Tripods and fabric drums	A corner, beside an armchair	A soft wash with no hard shadow on the wall	$190 to $3,209
Rice paper and woven	A quiet room, a corner with plants	A lit column rather than a shade on a stem	$115 to $670
Wood and reclaimed	A room with warm floors	Visible grain holding up a quiet shade	$230 to $2,000
Glass and acrylic	A modern room, a space with no side table	A lit body that works as an object by day	$190 to $1,240
Remote and LED	A room with the switch out of reach	Brightness set from the sofa, not the wall	$230 to $1,760

What to check on a floor lamp

Corded wall plug: The lamp runs from a cord to a wall outlet, with no wiring work at all. That is how most of this range is supplied. Measure the route from the corner you have in mind to the nearest outlet, since the cord length is fixed.
E27 socket: The large screw fitting for a standard household bulb, used by most lamps here. Because the bulb is replaceable, the same lamp can be warm beside a sofa or brighter beside a reading chair simply by changing the lamp in it.
Dimmable: A lamp that can be turned down rather than only switched. A fair share of this range states it, on the body, on the cord or by remote. Several models that do not dim as supplied can be built that way before they ship.
Free standing: Nothing is fixed to the floor or the wall, so the lamp moves with the furniture. The weighted base is what keeps a tall stem upright, which is why a floor lamp with a wide reach carries a heavier foot than it looks like it needs.
IP20: The dry indoor rating carried by lamps here. It confirms the body is closed against fingers and offers nothing against water. Right for a living room, and not enough for an open terrace unless the page says otherwise.

Questions about standing lamps

What height works next to a sofa?

58 to 64 inches overall suits most sofas, since it puts the shade bottom near shoulder height for anyone sitting down. Measure from the floor to your shoulder while seated, then look for a shade that lands within two inches of that mark either way.

How much reach does an arc model need?

Enough to bring the shade over the middle of the seat, which is typically 40 to 60 inches of span. Set the base back from the traffic path, since the pole crosses the room at head height and a wide arc placed badly turns into an obstacle.

Are these lamps stable on a rug?

Weighted and wide bases usually are. Thick pile tilts a narrow column, so run the base onto the rug fully rather than half on and half off, or set it on the bare floor beside the edge. Arc designs need the heaviest base of all because of the leverage.

Can a single lamp light a living room?

Rarely on its own. One standing fixture lights the zone around it and leaves the rest of the room in shadow, which is often the intent. For even coverage, pair it with a ceiling fixture or a second lamp on the opposite diagonal of the room.

What bulb output suits reading?

Roughly 800 to 1100 lumens at 2700K to 3000K for a reading position. Dimmable models let you drop that to a background level when the television is on. Where the shade is open at the top, keep the bulb below the shade rim so it stays out of a standing sightline.

Browse by category: Living Room Floor Lamps, Arc Floor Lamps, Modern Floor Lamps and Bedroom Floor Lamps. See also Table Lamps and Wall Lamps. Everything that stands on a surface or on the floor sits under Lamps.