Agua Grooved Floor Lamp Base - Natural

The Agua is a floor lamp base made of two parts that could hardly be less alike. The lower half is a heavy wooden cylinder, domed at the top and standing straight on the floor, its whole surface cut with fine horizontal grooves ring above ring. From the dome a plain brass stem, no thicker than a pencil, carries on to the lampholder. The wood is mango, left natural, and the grooves catch the light so the tone shifts between them. It stands 138cm tall on an 18cm cylinder.

The grooving is what the eye reads at close range and the silhouette is what it reads across a room: a solid block low down and almost nothing above it. That suits a spot where the base is seen, beside a chair or against a plain wall, rather than a corner where it would be hidden. The narrow stem keeps the shade high and clear of the body. It takes one E27 bulb up to 60W and the flex runs 2.5m with the switch on the cord.

Each cylinder is turned from responsibly sourced mango wood and the grooves are cut as it turns, so the spacing and the depth vary slightly and the natural tone of each piece of timber comes through differently. At 3.68kg nearly all the weight is in the cylinder. The Agua range also holds a table lamp base grooved the same way. No shade and no bulb are included.

Instruction Manual (PDF)

Does a shade come with it?

No, this is the base alone. A wide shade balances the narrow stem; a small one leaves the cylinder looking bottom heavy.

Do the grooves run up or around?

Around. They are horizontal rings wrapping the cylinder, cut as the wood turns, rather than flutes running up it.

How much floor does it take?

18cm across, which is less than any of the other floor lamp bases here, so it fits a gap beside a chair rather than needing a corner.

How do I care for the wood?

A soft dry cloth, worked along the grooves rather than across them. Keep harsh chemicals and abrasive cleaners off it, and unplug the lamp first.