Lamps

What lamps do that a ceiling fixture cannot

A ceiling fixture lights a room from one point, high up, and every shadow in the room falls the same way. A portable fitting sits at the height of the people using it, which is why a room lit only from above reads flat at night and the same room reads warm once two low sources are switched on.

Position decides the rest. Beside a reading chair the shade sits at eye level when you are seated, roughly 40 to 42 inches from the floor. On a nightstand the bottom of the shade lands near shoulder height in bed. On a desk the head goes on the side opposite your writing hand so the shadow falls away from the page.

Choosing between the three kinds of lamps

The surface you have available settles it before style does.

On a table: a nightstand, a console or a sideboard. Height about 26 to 32 inches overall, shade width roughly twice the widest point of the base.
On the floor: a corner, beside a sofa or an armchair. Height 58 to 64 inches, base clear of the walkway.
On a desk: an adjustable head and a small footprint, so the light reaches the page without taking the working surface.
No outlet nearby: a rechargeable model runs a set number of hours per charge and moves to a balcony or a dinner table.

Color temperature ties the three together. Warm light near 2700K suits a bedroom and a living room, a neutral 3500K to 4000K reads cleaner on a desk. Mixing the two in one room is what makes a corner look yellow next to the window.

Which lamp for which spot

Lamp type	Best in	What it does	Price here
Table lamps	A console, a nightstand, a sideboard	A pool of light at sitting height	$95 to $1,540
Floor lamps	A corner, beside a sofa or a chair	Height and a silhouette with no wiring work	$109 to $2,000
Desk lamps	A work surface, a home office	A directed beam on the task in front of you	$80 to $340
Cordless lamps	A dining table, a balcony, a shelf	Light where there is no outlet at all	$95 to $860

Terms on this page

E26 and E27 sockets: The screw socket that takes a standard household bulb. It is what most lamps in this range use, so a bulb bought in any hardware store fits. Each product page names the socket, and the two sizes are close enough that many models accept either.
Dimmable: A lamp that can be turned down rather than only on or off. A good share of this range is dimmable, through a switch on the body, a touch base or a wall control. Where a page does not state it, treat the lamp as fixed output.
IP20: A rating for dry indoor use. It means the body keeps fingers out of the live parts but offers no protection against water. Lamps here carry it, which is the normal rating for anything meant to sit on a table or a floor indoors.
Rechargeable and USB powered: A lamp with a cell inside instead of a cord to the wall. Part of this range runs this way, charged over a USB cable and carried from room to room. Runtime depends on the brightness setting, so a lower step lasts longer between charges.
Fabric and linen shades: A woven shade stretched over a frame. It hides the lamp inside and spreads a soft wash rather than a sharp edge, which is why so many table models here use one. It also collects dust, so it wants a brush rather than a damp cloth.

Questions about portable lighting

How tall should one be beside a bed?

The bottom of the shade should sit close to shoulder height when you are sitting up in bed, which usually means an overall height between 24 and 28 inches on a standard nightstand. Taller than that and the bulb is in your eye line.

How wide should the shade be?

About twice the widest point of the base, and never wider than the table it stands on. A shade that overhangs the surface looks unstable even when it is not, and it throws light onto the floor instead of onto the room.

Does one fitting light a whole room?

No. Plan two or three low sources spread around the room rather than one bright piece in a corner. Three sources at different heights, a table piece, a floor piece and something on a shelf, cover a living room better than any single fitting can.

Browse by category: Table Lamps, Floor Lamps and Home Office Desk Lamps. For fixtures that mount on a ceiling or a wall, see Ceiling Lamps and Wall Lamps. A mixed selection of accents sits at Home Decor Accessories.