Table Lamps

Bedside, Accent or Desk? Choosing the Right Type of Table Lamp

Most table lamps will technically work anywhere, but the best results come from matching the lamp to the job. A lamp for reading at a desk needs to behave differently from one that softens a bedroom at night. Almost every design in our range is a single-light, ambient lamp, so the main decisions are where it will sit, how big it should be and how you want to switch it on and off.

Table lamps for the bedside

Beside the bed, comfort matters more than brightness. Look for shades in soft white or opal glass that spread light gently, and pair them with a warm white bulb so the room stays restful before sleep. Place the lamp close to the edge of the nightstand so the switch is within easy reach when you are lying down. If you read in bed, position the lower edge of the shade roughly at eye level when sitting up; this keeps glare out of your eyes while still lighting the page.

Accent lamps for living rooms

In the living room, a table lamp forms part of the lighting layer that runs below your ceiling fittings. On a sideboard or console table, sculptural bases in carved alabaster, marble or stone work as objects in their own right during the day and become warm pools of light in the evening. Two matching lamps placed at either end of a sideboard give a room symmetry, while a single lamp on a side table anchors a reading corner next to the sofa.

Lamps for desks and studies

For a study or home office, think about where the light falls on your work surface. The range includes adjustable designs that let you angle light towards paperwork or a keyboard, and metal dome shades that direct light downwards rather than scattering it around the room. Because most of our table lamps are ambient rather than task-focused, many people run one alongside the main room light, using the lamp to take the harshness out of evening screen sessions.

Getting the Size Right

Scale is the most common mistake people make with table lamps. Most designs in our range measure between 30cm and 50cm wide, sitting in the small to medium size bands, which suits the majority of nightstands, side tables and sideboards. As a rule of thumb, the lamp base should take up no more than half the depth of the surface it sits on, and the shade should not overhang the edges of the table.

On a bedside table, smaller footprints leave room for books, glasses and a phone. On a larger sideboard or console, a medium lamp holds its own without looking lost. If you are torn between two sizes, measure the surface first; a lamp that looks compact in photographs can dominate a narrow shelf.

Switching, Bulbs and Dimming

Before you buy, check how the lamp is switched. Table lamps are typically controlled by a switch on the cable, a switch on the body or simply at the plug socket, and where that switch sits affects daily use far more than most people expect. A bedside lamp with a switch you can find in the dark earns its place quickly.

The majority of our table lamps take a standard E27 screw-fit bulb, which gives you plenty of freedom. You can fit a dimmable LED bulb and pair the lamp with a compatible plug-in dimmer, or use a smart bulb to control brightness and scheduling from your phone. A smaller group of designs use an integrated LED instead, where the light source is built into the lamp itself, giving an even, soft glow with no separate bulb to buy.

For light colour, warm white sits at the relaxing end of the scale, and many designs in our range use a warm white output, which flatters brass and stone finishes and suits bedrooms and living rooms. All of our table lamps are rated IP20, which means they are made for dry indoor rooms rather than bathrooms or outdoor spaces.

Materials and Finishes at a Glance

Metal is the backbone of the range, most often finished in brass, white or black, with polished chrome, gold and grey also appearing. Stone features heavily too: carved alabaster, sculpted marble and travertine bases bring natural veining and weight, and they pair well with brass detailing. Glass appears as opal and smoked sphere shades, alongside amber and clear acrylic, wood-effect accents and even white resin animal figures for something playful.

If you are working to a palette, neutral and monochrome schemes dominate, with a smaller run of bolder colours such as amber, terracotta red and purple red. Styles lean modern, contemporary and minimalist across the board, so most designs will sit comfortably in newer interiors without clashing.