Dec. 09, 2024
Lighting tends to be an afterthought in interior design. But the best floor lamps, intentionally placed in the right spaces around the house, can actually elevate the look of your decor. And that&#;s not just our personal opinion. (Although we do really love lamps.) There is actually expert-backed evidence that the way your home is lit can affect how you perceive it and ultimately feel about it. For example, a bad lighting scheme can produce harsh shadows, making a space feel smaller, whereas good lighting can highlight all the right places and help the eye travel throughout the room, making it seem more spacious.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.
All this is to say: Lighting should be at the forefront of your decorating plan, which is why we took the liberty of testing out a curated selection of top floor lamp picks from some of our favorite brands (in addition to other great options that score high design marks in our books). In each of our reviewers you&#;ll find an AD editor&#;s testimony as to what makes each light stand out, how they use it in their space, and what&#;s something buyers should keep in mind. Many of these options barely take up any space and are easy to transport, so buying a good floor lamp is always a sound investment if you ask us. With a variety of design styles, functions, and bulb options, we think there should be something for just about every space on this list.
Castlery
Lila Allen
Lila Allen
&#;A little bit farmhouse, a little bit Mad Men, the Karo is a three-legged floor lamp with an integrated surface. Lamp/table hybrids are nothing new to those of us who frequent secondhand and vintage shops, but Karo turns the familiar combo on its head by placing its platform at the center of the tripod rather than wrapping around a central support. It&#;s an unusual design, and it&#;s fun to play around with styling the center section&#;I actually preferred it best bare, but that didn&#;t stop me from trying out books, bowls of fruit, and flowers.&#; &#;Lila Allen, AD Pro associate director
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;Because of its three-legged construction, this light requires a larger footprint than other floor lamps I own; buyers will want to double-check the dimensions of their space before ordering. I had my lamp delivered white-glove, which saved me the hassle of assembly&#;but based on the item&#;s manual, it doesn&#;t seem like anything unmanageable. I love the easy push-button on/off toggle of this lamp, but I don&#;t love how the cord hangs in the middle of the legs. I would have preferred for there to be catches integrated into a support that would allow it to tuck away&#;and am considering adding some myself.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
&#;I tend to favor clean lines and timeless pieces, so when shopping recently for a new living room floor lamp, the Montage Modern caught my eye and held it, even after viewing dozens of additional (and pricier) options. When the efficient, compact box arrived (less waste!), assembly was a snap&#;literally, as the shade fabric clips to the lamp ring, and seals on itself with an invisible magnetic strip. Magic. The body screws together easily and the base lines up well. As for the glow, it&#;s excellent to read by (LED bulb included, as promised) and offers concentrated light in my corner, though I switch on additional lamps to brighten the room at night.&#; &#;Diane Dragan, global director of content strategy & operations
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;Two caveats: I bought the white shade and it&#;s a true, crisp white, which took a minute to adjust to as the lamp it replaced was ivory. (The Montage Modern is also available in an ivory, pleated shade option as well as tan.) And the clear, floor-based on/off button and wire may not be easily accessible if the lamp is positioned behind furniture, as in my home.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
Pottery Barn
Livia Caligor
Livia Caligor
&#;I love that this lamp is a two-birds-one-stone deal&#;the U-shaped metal lamp base holds a small marble table under the lamp that&#;s extremely handy. I use it to hold some small decor items and beverages while I&#;m on my couch or reading in bed, where I previously had a separate nightstand/lamp set-up. It&#;s perfect for small spaces&#;I love that it&#;s minimalist, sleek, and timeless, but the bronze adds an edgier touch.&#; &#;Livia Caligor, content operations manager
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;The lampshade is a bit bigger than I had anticipated&#;in fact it takes up more space than the marble side table component which defeats the purpose a little, so I might replace it with a different lampshade. Otherwise, it&#;s so perfect and very easy to assemble.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
CB2
Audrey Lee
Audrey Lee
&#;CB2&#;s Big Dipper is a statement lamp that&#;s also understated. Its design is pretty agnostic, meaning you could easily integrate it into your space whether your taste ranges anywhere from midcentury to Scandi; but the tall stature of the lamp (almost 85 inches tall) makes it a stand out. Assembly was straightforward, and I was able to accomplish screwing together all the pieces myself (though I would recommend recruiting a helpful hand if you&#;re able to). I appreciate that the arc is adjustable, so you're actually able to control how far down you&#;d like the shade to hang, plus, it's a dimmable design, which I&#;m a big fan of. I have the lamp set up bedside, and it&#;s the perfect light source for reading or scrolling on my before bed.&#; &#;Audrey Lee, commerce editor
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;Like I mentioned, this lamp definitely falls under the oversized category. It&#;d be most at home in a sprawling space with cathedral ceilings but I think it still works quite nicely in my apartment. Because this lamp is quite large, it&#;s not the easiest to move from room to room (nor is it easy since it weighs quite a bit as well). I&#;d suggest deciding where you want it beforehand and assembling it in that spot.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
&#;A not-so-secret secret among the world of furniture lovers is that the kids section often has the best stuff (and it tends to be slightly less expensive). This particular lamp is from Crate & Kids, and I&#;ve had it in my living room for over five years now, though it&#;s also perfectly suited for the bedroom. It&#;s particularly convenient because it&#;s the lamp closest to my front door and it&#;s a touch lamp, which I love, so I don&#;t have to shuffle around in the dark trying to find a cord or a pull. It has three brightness settings, but they are all quite soft and gentle.&#; &#;Rachel Fletcher, AD commerce director
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;Two calls outs: Because it&#;s a touch lamp, it can be slightly touchy; for example, I had it plugged in next to a powerful air purifier and that really put it on the fritz. I moved the purifier and all returned to normal. Also, because it&#;s for kids, it&#;s pretty short (4.5 feet)! As a short person, I am fine with that, but if you&#;re expecting a grand statement lamp, this is not it.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
&#;If you&#;re familiar with the cool, space-age aesthetic of the &#;60s, then you know the work of Bill Curry, the designer behind this far-out floor lamp. Curry is famous for pioneering the &#;total look&#; shadeless luminaire, epitomized by the Stemlite. In this model, the metal base smoothly tapers into a glowing glass orb not entirely unlike a UFO. And that&#;s why we love it. It&#;s a signature light for modernist interiors, and for a good reason&#;but in my home, it snuggles in nicely with an eclectic mix of antiques and more contemporary wares.&#; &#;Lila Allen, AD Pro associate director
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;There&#;s a tiny bit of assembly involved in setting it up, but you&#;ll be finished in less than five minutes. A towering floor lamp it is not: The Stemlite is a wee lad, standing just around four feet tall. It turns on and off (and dims!) through a rotary near the base of the shade, which might be more difficult to manipulate if you struggle with arthritis or joint pain. There isn&#;t a wide variety of colors available for this light&#;just Pebble Gray, Black Chrome, or Black Red (a cherry cola&#;like shade)&#;but simplicity is kinda the point here.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
Gantri
Audrey Lee
Audrey Lee
&#;The toughest part about buying a Gantri lamp is truly choosing which design to go for. Bedsides the attractive, modern design, what I really like about the Pavone lamp is that it's actually a great source of light. Its a dimmable design, so you can achieve sultry, mood lighting or use it at functional full brightness. The lamp is also newly available in 26(!) different color options and three different rod choices so you can totally customize it to your liking.&#; &#;Audrey Lee, commerce editor
Light bulb requirements
What to keep in mind
&#;I love this lamp but I wish the two midsection rods weren&#;t divided into three parts that need to be attached to one another. The parts were a tad difficult to screw into each other and I think it would have given the design a more polished look overall had they just been one piece.&#;
Assembly required? Yes
While you can use a higher watt light bulb than your light fixture suggests, we wouldn&#;t recommend it. Wattage relates to how much power a particular device uses, and if more than the design allows is being used, you face the risk of &#;overlamping,&#; meaning your fixture will start to run particularly hot. This is bad for a few reasons: Overheating can melt bulb sockets and wiring and, in the worst cases, lead to an electrical fire. It may also cost you more in the long run and be less energy-efficient&#;if your bulbs are drawing too much energy, it&#;ll likely mean having to replace them more frequently. If you&#;re still confused on the correct bulb to look for, we hope this handy visual guide will help.
The Strategist&#;s carefully chosen and rigorously vetted flagship shopping guides. Learn about our methodology here, and find all our Best in Class guides here.
Photo: Retailer
Finding a nice, not-too-expensive floor lamp is tricky. You want it to be functional (illuminating) but also unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing. It can also act as a stand-alone piece of furniture, if that&#;s what you&#;re going for, but designer lamps can be cost-prohibitive, especially if you need several of them throughout your house. One piece of advice that I love comes from interior designer Lauren Ashley Allan, who says that lighting, which can act as &#;the jewelry to a room,&#; can be an opportunity to experiment and have fun with décor. To help you narrow down your search, I tested lamps at home myself and also reached out to interior designers and other design-adjacent tastemakers for their recommendations. Below, I bring you 18 floor lamps for every style &#; from upright to tripod to task lamps &#; and budget &#; including one that costs just $16. If you&#;re looking for other types of lamps, visit our Lighting District for a roundup of our 100 favorite lighting implements.
Update on August 19, : Added an image of the Mads Caprani lamp in situ; added Pooky Tinto Floor Lamp; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What
we&#;re
looking
for
Style
Among the hundreds of thousands of floor lamps out there, most of them fit within just a handful of categories. You&#;ve got your basic upright floor lamp that&#;s supported by a single post; tripods that stand on three legs; arcing lamps, whose shades suspend over a space; task lamps that let you direct the light right above a reading chair; and lamps that have columnlike supports. Everything else is a variation therein, with different shade types dictating the overall look of a lamp. Fabric drum shades are among the most classic kind, but you also have mushrooms, globes, cones, and pleated options, among others. In my own never-ending search for floor lamps, I&#;ve found it helpful to search by basic style, so I&#;ve categorized the ones below that way as well, and then by shade.
Material
The basic components of a floor lamp &#; base, support, and neck &#; are typically made of metal or wood, but many lamps also mix materials. Marble is a popular base material, and sculptural, ceramic bottoms have recently become the darling of the high-end-design world. You&#;ll also find lamps whose posts act as the light source itself, which is seen in paper column styles as well as in more contemporary LED options.
Adjustability
Unlike desk lamps, floor lamps are typically fixed, but a few do come with adjustable components. Task lamps, for example, usually allow you to adjust the shade and even a swing arm, if they come with one. Some upright styles come with telescoping necks that are height adjustable. A couple of floor lamps are even dimmable.
West Elm Telescoping Adjustable Floor Lamp
$299
$299
Photo: Retailer
Style: Drum shade | Material: Linen, metal | Adjustability: Telescoping neck
TV and film set decorator Kimberly Fischer told me about this lamp from West Elm when I wrote this highly specific story on floor lamps a couple of years ago, and she called it a staple. &#;I&#;ve used it multiple times,&#; she said. &#;It&#;s classic and shows up well on-camera.&#; She points out its natural linen shade, and the fact that it is height adjustable makes it that much more versatile. It&#;s got a slender metal stem that incorporates both antique brass and satin black finishes (for a little extra detailing) and a base that will fit small spaces comfortably, which is why, along with its just-below-$300 price tag, I&#;ve dubbed it the best overall floor lamp on this list.
$299
at West Elm
Pottery Barn Morton Floor Lamp
$269
$269
Style: Upright, drum shade | Material: Wood, linen
If you prefer something simpler, I recommend this floor lamp from Pottery Barn that has a plain wooden base that I imagine would fit in just about anywhere. Interior designer Stacy likes its &#;versatile design&#; that she says pairs well with coastal, California, and transitional styles,&#; thanks to its pale rubberwood base and textured linen shade. It&#;s also available in a darker walnut finish, which comes with a gray shade.
$269
at Pottery Barn
Pooky Tinto Floor Lamp with Empire Shade
$500
$500
Style: Upright, various shade styles | Material: Wood, fabric
If you want a floor lamp that you can customize with a plethora of different shade styles, check out Pooky, the Gloucestershire-based lighting brand that offers over 700 shades in all shapes and patterns (and maker of one of our favorite table lamps). Strategist senior editor Hilary Reid recently received the Tinto lamp for testing that features a wooden &#;spinal&#; column and antiqued brass base. She calls the lamp &#;very attractive&#;: &#;The &#;natural&#; shade of wood is warm and rich looking, and the brass base is just the right amount of brassy (not too shiny, but gives a polished contrast to the carved wood),&#; she says. But what she loves most about the lamp is its presence, saying that it &#;adds some texture and playfulness to my living room in a subtle way,&#; thanks to the wooden stem and pleated shade she chose in a pale-blue-and-green ikat pattern. The lamp base itself costs $350, and the shades range in price from $75 to $250, making it relatively inexpensive to change them out down the line. (For the floor lamp, you&#;ll want to go with the larger sizes that measure between 16 and 20 inches.)
$500
at Pooky
Luceplan Costanza Floor Lamp
From $595
From $595
Style: Upright, tapered drum shade | Material: Metal, polycarbonate, silkscreened shade
This lamp from Italian lighting brand Luceplan has a sleek metal stem with square base and a tapered polycarbonate silkscreened diffuser that comes in 11 colors including a bright primary red, canary yellow, and mauve. It was designed in but has a contemporary look that I think would look really nice in all kinds of spaces, especially because of its shade options and three different body finishes &#; off-white, brass, and aluminum. And starting at just under $600 for the white shade on off-white model, it&#;s a great price for something so timeless.
From $595
at 2Modern
Regency Hill Jenson Aged Brass Pharmacy Floor Lamp
$130
$130
Style: Task | Material: Metal | Adjustability: Adjustable height, swing arm
For something a little more traditional, try a task lamp, like this one that design historian Alessandra Wood recommends. &#;I love a good pharmacy lamp,&#; she says, adding that because of its classic look, this will always be in style. &#;This has the perfect blend of vintage and industrial charm, and the aged brass introduces an upscale feeling of warmth to any rustic space.&#; It&#;s available in other finishes, including nickel and bronze, and has an adjustable height and swing arm.
$130
at Amazon$130
at Walmart
Ikea Lersta Aluminum Chrome Effect Floor/Reading Lamp
$16
$16
GREATON LIGHTING contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.
Style: Task/reading | Material: Metal | Adjustability: Adjustable head
Here&#;s a more straightforward reading lamp from Ikea that&#;s as no-fuss as they come &#; and it&#;s just $16. It&#;s recommended by Rajni Jacques, global head of fashion and beauty at Snapchat, who first told us about it in a recent issue of the Secret Strategist newsletter (sign up here if you haven&#;t yet subscribed to it). The aluminum lamp has an adjustable arm for directing the light wherever you need it to shine, but it also can add a nice glow to the room, as Jacques explains. &#;I like to call this the Moody Lamp. It&#;s a great light when you&#;re feeling melancholy. When the overhead lights are off and you want just a hint of light to soften the room, this does the job,&#; she told us. &#;Also, it&#;s cheap and looks good in any room &#; night or day.&#;
$16
at Ikea
CB2 Big Dipper Arc Brass Floor Lamp
$349
$349
Style: Arc, drum shade | Materials: Metal, cotton | Adjustability: Dimmable
A floor lamp with a dramatically arcing neck can double as overhead lighting if you position it correctly &#; above seating or even a dining table, for example. Another favorite of Harwood&#;s, this more traditional option has a simple metal base and cotton shade, making it especially versatile. &#;With an extending arch that&#;s over six feet high,&#; Harwood says it is a practical option for both small and large rooms. She adds that it comes with full dimmer capacity and that you can get it in two finishes (brass and nickel).
$349
at Havenly$349
at CB2
Versanora Arquer Arc Floor Lamp
$98
now 10% off
$98
Style: Arc, globe shade | Material: Metal, marble
This arcing lamp has more of a &#;60s vibe thanks to its globe shade. It&#;s recommended by home decorator Carrie Carrollo, who, tired of what she calls the millennial-approved &#;all gold- (or brass-) toned everything,&#; suggests trying chrome. &#;This lamp feels like a nice way to potentially experiment with the tone,&#; she says. It also marries two of the shapes she mentions above, with a shade that is both orblike and mushroom reminiscent.
$98
at Amazon$120
at Walmart
Mads Caprani Timberline Floor Lamp
$1,295
$1,295
Style: Arc, pleated shade | Material: Wood, canvas
The Mads Caprani lamp, originally designed in , has a bentwood neck that&#;s a more subtle take on an arc lamp. Vintage ones were once difficult and expensive to source &#; I bought mine from Copenhagen-based Etsy seller Verbo Studio, whose lamps were in beautiful condition and better priced than the ones I saw in the U.S. &#; but now they&#;re back in production thanks to Gubi. The curved bentwood spine is made of wood veneer with a canvas pleated shade and balances on a crescent-shaped cast-iron base. It can slide into just about any spot due to its petite footprint. I&#;ve created the most pleasant reading nook by placing it next to a big white slipcovered chair. Even though it&#;s slightly ubiquitous now, I never tire of looking at its sinuous shape.
$1,295
at Design Within Reach
Photo: This is a vintage version of the Caprani lamp. It looks identical to the reissued one sold at Design Within Reach.
France & Son Grasshopper Floor lamp
$400
$400
Style: Tripod | Material: Metal | Adjustability: Adjustable head
If you like a lamp that stands on three legs but prefer something with a slimmer profile, consider this lamp by Greta Grossman&#;s original Grasshopper design that Allan recommends as an &#;alternative reproduction if you are working toward building your own iconic collection.&#; It has a tubular steel tripod stand that is &#;tilted backward, creating a modern silhouette,&#; and a conical shade with an elbow joint that can be adjusted up or down to direct the light where you please. In terms of placement, Allan recommends &#;placing it behind your favorite reading chair in a family room, bedroom, or kids&#; room.&#;
$400
at France & Son
Noguchi Akari 10A
$840
$840
Style: Tripod | Material: Washi paper, metal, bamboo
For something that doubles as a piece of art, consider Isamu Noguchi&#;s Akari light sculptures, which are made from washi paper and come in dozens of styles and shapes. The Akari 10A stands on three slim legs and has a round paper shade with bent bamboo trim. It&#;s what beauty consultant Alexis Page (and Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens) has in her home. As she told us at the time, &#;I chose the 10A for its lower profile and traditional shape. I like that these lamps either disappear or serve as a focal point. They create warm lighting that I love because overhead lighting should be banned.&#; While the 10A is out of stock from the Noguchi Museum until, the similar 10D model is available now.
$840
at End Clothing
Gantri Pavone Floor Light
$448
$448
Style: Column | Material: Plant polymer, aluminum | Adjustability: Dimmable
Photographer and designer Tommy Lei turns to California-based Gantri, which makes 3-D-printed lighting using plant materials, for his floor lamps. &#;It works directly with reputable designers to produce cutting-edge products with a high-design flair,&#; says Lei. The Pavone, designed by Viviana Degrandi, is one of his favorites that he uses in both his home and with clients. The LED light source is ensconced between two tail-feather-shaped shells that diffuse light radially and sit atop two aluminum rods that are anchored by a slim cylindrical base, giving it a slender profile. Lei prefers to use it as a corner lamp to &#;elevate any sitting or living room,&#; adding that it &#;pairs easily with a wide range of décor styles because of how timeless the silhouette is.&#;
$448
at Gantri
EQ3 Oxford Dunce Floor Lamp
$300
$300
Style: Column, vertical light | Material: Metal | Adjustability: Dimmable
&#;This floor lamp is one of my favorites, mainly because of the marble base but also because it&#;s unique and it doesn&#;t take up a ton of space,&#; says interior designer Tiffany Thompson of Duett Interiors. It comes from Canadian-based brand EQ3 and doesn&#;t immediately look like lighting because of its matte-anodized-aluminum shade that emits a vertical shaft of light. &#;If you live in a smaller apartment, or you&#;re looking for a light fixture to go in a corner space, this is a great option while still being a conversation piece,&#; says Thompson.
$300
at EQ3
CB2 Gigi Polished Stainless-Steel Floor Lamp
$599
$599
Style: Column | Material: Metal
If the above light works best in a corner, this shiny stainless-steel lamp that Victoria Adesanmi, founder and principal of interior-design studio Aesthetics Studios, recommends is meant to stand out. &#;I&#;m obsessed with this,&#; says Adesanmi. &#;It&#;s modern, simple, and perfect for any place in your home.&#;
$599
at CB2
Interior Icons Globe Floor Lamp
$582
$582
Style: Upright, globe | Material: Metal
I love the idea of this simple globe lamp, which was first brought to our attention by artist Hugh Hayden in the same edition of the Secret Strategist newsletter as above. Hayden, who has two of them, says that he loves &#;their simplicity, size, and the amount of light they bring to my living room.&#; The spherical diffuser is made from opal white glass and its slim, minimalist stem is made from steel.
$582
at Interior Icons
Allsop Luna Lamp
$116
Style: Orb, low | Material: Plastic | Adjustability: Dimmable, 16 LED color options
For a different kind of ambient light, two of our experts, Thompson and Shannon Retseck, the owner of Cuttalossa, a home-goods and textile company, and Cuttalossa & Co., a retail space in Philadelphia, suggest trying round floor lamps, like this one recommended by Thompson. &#;This is a nontraditional version of a floor lamp,&#; she says. &#;I love it directly on the floor or propped up on a stack of books.&#; It casts a soft glow and comes with 16 LED color options. Retseck, who recommends a similar lamp, agrees that &#;well-placed glowing globes bring a serene diffused light.&#;
$116
at Food52
Muuto Leaf LED Floor Lamp
$639
$639
Style: Bent neck | Material: Metal | Adjustability: Dimmable
Another minimalist LED lamp, the Leaf from Scandinavian design studio Muuto comes recommended by Clémence Polès, the creative director and founder of online magazine Passerby. &#;I recently discovered Muuto and have been fawning over their designs,&#; she says. &#;The Leaf floor lamp is beautiful. It&#;s really elegant, thin, and doesn&#;t take up much space.&#; Slightly more sculptural than the Ikea lamp above, this &#;feels like it could be part of an Alexander Calder piece,&#; according to Polès. The shade, which is shaped like a leaf, can be angled in the direction you desire.
$639
at YLightingOur experts
&#; Victoria Adesanmi, founder and principal of Aesthetics Studios
&#; Lauren Ashley Allan, interior designer
&#; Carrie Carrollo, home decorator
&#; Toussaint Derby, Havenly lead designer
&#; Stacy Harwood, interior designer
&#; Hugh Hayden, artist
&#; Rajni Jacques, global head of fashion and beauty at Snapchat
&#; Jess Knauf, interior designer
&#; Meghan Lavery and Daniel King, owners of Home Union
&#; Tommy Lei, photographer and designer
&#; Clémence Polès, founder of Passerby
&#; Hilary Reid, Strategist senior editor
&#; Shannon Retseck, owner of Cuttalossa
&#; Tiffany Thompson, founder of Duett Interiors
&#; Alessandra Wood, design historian
Additional reporting by Mimi Faucett.
Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of ODM luxury modern floor lamps supplier. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Previous: None
If you are interested in sending in a Guest Blogger Submission,welcome to write for us!
All Comments ( 0 )