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Table & Floor Lamps
We are not stocking table or floor lamps at the moment. This page is kept because the guidance below is still worth having, and because the category will return.
What we do stock for the same job: the swing arm wall sconce is a reading light with its own dimmer knob and a bulb included, and it keeps the nightstand clear. The up-and-down LED pair does the softer bedside job. Browse the full range for everything else.
What a table lamp is for
A table lamp adds character to a room without demanding attention the way a chandelier does. It is also the most flexible light in a house, because it can be moved, and because the light it gives is at eye level rather than overhead.
A study lamp and a bedside lamp are different things
This is the distinction that matters most and the one most often ignored. A lamp for a desk or a study should give crisp, clear light coming directly from the source, with a shade to point it where you are working and keep it out of your eyes. Diffused or dull light at a desk makes reading harder.
A bedside lamp should be the opposite: shaded, diffused or dimmable. Exposure to sharp light around bedtime is known to affect sleep quality, so a warm, low glow beside a bed is better than a bright one, however good it looks switched off.
A lamp for a living room is the easiest of the three. Almost any style works, as long as you like looking at it.
Choosing colours that will still suit the room in five years
Lighting outlasts upholstery. Neutral shade colours such as beige, and metallic finishes on the body, sit comfortably with a wide range of palettes, which leaves you free to change the linen and the furniture without replacing the lamp.
With a ceramic base, contrast rather than match. Ceramic bases tend to be pastel, and matching a pastel base to a pastel room reads as sombre where a contrast reads as deliberate.
How lamps are classified
Two ways. By material: ceramic, marble, glass, metal, fabric-shaded, and more recently LED. And by purpose: study lamps, bedside lamps, living room lamps. The second grouping is a recommendation rather than a rule, and a lamp will work wherever it suits you.
If you want to know when this category comes back, email us at theteam@modernlight.uk.
Frequently asked questions about lamps
Do you sell table or floor lamps?
Not at the moment. There is nothing in this category today, and we would rather say so than list an empty page as a range.
What is a table lamp?
A light designed to stand on a table or a countertop, typically under three feet tall, though that is a convention rather than a rule.
What is the difference between a study lamp and a bedside lamp?
The light they should give. A study lamp wants crisp light straight from the source, shaded to keep it out of your eyes. A bedside lamp wants shaded, diffused or dimmable light, because bright light before sleep interferes with it.
What are the types of lamp?
They are grouped by material, such as ceramic, marble, glass, metal or fabric-shaded, and by purpose, such as study, bedside or living room.
What should I buy instead for reading in bed?
The swing arm wall sconce. It has a rotary dimmer on the fitting itself, ships with a matched dimmable LED bulb, and takes no space on the nightstand.
Will this category come back?
That is the intention, which is why the page is still here. Email us and we will tell you when it does.