Floor Lamps

How to Choose a Floor Lamp

Choosing a floor lamp comes down to three questions: how tall it should stand, which way you want the light to travel, and where in the room it will live. Get those right and the rest, the finish, the shade material, the bulb type, tends to fall into place. The range here runs from uplighters and arc designs to slim columns and shaded standing lamps, so whichever way you answer, there is a shape to suit. This guide works through each question in turn.

Getting the Height Right

Height does more than any other measurement to decide whether a floor lamp works. Beside a sofa or armchair, aim for the bottom of the shade to sit at or just above seated eye level, usually between 1.0 and 1.4 metres from the floor. That keeps the bulb out of your sightline whether you are sitting with a book or walking past. For lamps standing in an open corner, taller is better, as the extra height pushes light deeper into the room.

Think about proportion as well as the number on the page. A full-height column suits high ceilings and open-plan spaces, while a lower room benefits from a design that sends its light upward and makes the ceiling feel further away. Most of the standing lamps we stock sit in the larger size band, and many measure between 30 and 50 centimetres across at their widest point, so allow a clear patch of floor before you decide where one will go.

Which Way Should the Light Travel?

Light direction is the most overlooked part of the decision, and it changes what a lamp is actually for.

Uplighters

An uplighter throws its light at the ceiling, which bounces it back down as a soft, even wash. The result is ambient light with almost no glare, useful in smaller rooms and anywhere you want background light for the evening rather than light to work by. It is also the kindest option for low ceilings, since the light source points away from your eyes entirely.

Arc and Adjustable Designs

An arc floor lamp plants its base to one side and curves the light source out over a sofa or reading chair, giving you overhead light without a ceiling fitting. Adjustable designs do a similar job on a smaller scale, with arms that angle towards a page or a task. Both suit rooms where the seating sits away from the walls and a table lamp has nowhere to stand.

Diffused, All-Round Light

Shaded standing lamps, opal glass diffusers and alabaster globes and columns spread light in every direction through a translucent material. Fabric shades give a warm, soft edge, glass diffuses evenly, and alabaster, a natural stone, lets light through with a gentle glow. Crystal scatters light rather than diffusing it, adding sparkle and throwing patterns onto nearby walls. These are the lamps to choose when the goal is atmosphere rather than output.

Where to Put a Floor Lamp, Room by Room

Living Rooms

The living room is where most floor lamps end up, and for good reason. Place one beside the sofa for reading, or in the corner diagonally opposite the main window to balance the daylight in the afternoon and replace it at night. Used alongside a ceiling light, a floor lamp lets you drop the overhead level in the evening and keep a warm pool of light where people actually sit.

Bedrooms

A floor lamp earns its keep in a bedroom when bedside tables are small or missing. Stand one on the far side of the bed, or beside a chair if you have a reading corner. Warm white light and a dimmable design make winding down easier, and many of the lamps we stock offer both.

Hallways

Hallways and landings are often lit by a single ceiling point, which leaves the corners dark. A slim column or a narrow shaded lamp fills that gap without crowding the walkway, and gives you a low-level light to leave on through the evening.

Bulbs, Dimming and Controls

Many of the floor lamps we stock take standard E27 or E14 bulbs, which keeps replacements cheap and easy to find, while a good share have integrated LEDs built into the fitting itself. Dimmable designs run right across the range, including touch dimmer models you operate with a tap on the frame, and warm white colour temperatures are the most common because floor lamps are mostly used for relaxing rather than working. The lamps here are rated IP20, which makes them suited to dry indoor rooms rather than bathrooms.

Materials and Finishes

Metal frames carry most of the range, finished in polished chrome, brass, antique brass, brushed brass, black, white and gold, alongside nickel and pewter. Shades and diffusers come in fabric, opal and frosted glass, crystal, acrylic and alabaster, with details such as marble bases, wood veneer and leather appearing on individual designs. Styles run from modern and minimalist through to traditional and glam pieces, and the modern and traditional styles each have a dedicated page if you would rather start from a narrower shortlist.