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The Essential Guide to Choosing a Lamp

January 5, 2020 / 20 Comments

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My husband says that I’m always buying lamps and pillows. I feel like I always find a dark corner that I want to light up with a lovely little lamp. And pillows – let’s just say, I like to be comfortable.

To be honest, lamps may seem like a strange thing to write about but I think a lot of people are somewhat clueless when it comes to lamps (I definitely was).

What’s so complicated you may ask? Well, it doesn’t seem very complicated until you actually need to buy one and then you realize that you need to determine the type of lamp and base size. Then once you’ve got that figured out, you need to decide what type of shade you need to fit the base. This sometimes complicates matters, not all stores always have the bases and shades that coordinate or if you’re buying them as a set you may like the base but not the shade and so on. If you’ve ever bought a lamp base and then found it impossible to find a shade that fits – you understand what I’m talking about. I’ve gotten many of my lamps at Target because they have a fantastic selection of lamps and there’s always a coordinating shade. Plus – you cannot beat the prices for a nice lamp.

Traditionally there are four main sizes of lamps: Bedside / Accent, Table, Floor and Desk. There are lots more types of lamps but let’s start with the basics.

Bedside Lamps or Accent Lamps – Total height is typically 24 to 27 inches including the shade. These are typically a smaller sized lamp and are ideal for use as a reading light. I sometimes use accent lamps on a small table or corner where a lamp will accent my decor.

Measuring Bedside Lamps: If you’re sitting on the bed, eye level of the lamp should be approximately at the top of the lamp base.

This is one of my favorite bedside lamps that I bought for my youngest daughter’s room. I love the look of mercury glass lamps and this one is a great price (don’t forget the shade ).

Girls Bedside Lamp
Girls Bedside Lamp

When I bought this little accent lamp, I wasn’t immediately sure where I was going to put it. I love where it it ended up, it makes this little corner of my dining room super cozy. Similar lamp here.

Accent Lamp
Accent Lamp

Table lamps – Total height is typically 26 to 34 inches including the shade. The bottom of the shade of your lamp should be just about at eye level. I find that a lot of people tend to buy lamps that are too small for their space, which can look awkward and not provide sufficient light. The easiest way to solve this problem is by measuring first to determine the size of lamp that your space requires.

Measuring Table Lamps – If you’re sitting on a nearby couch or chair, the bottom of the lampshade should be approximately eye level.

Turned Column Wood Lamp (large) and Shade – We have very similar lamps in our living room along with the floor lamp. I don’t usually like matching sets of furniture and accessories but I think they work well together.

Turned Column Wood Lamp (small) and Shade – this is the smaller version of the lamp.

Table Lamps
Table Lamps

Double Gourd Ceramic Large Table Lamp Aqua and Shade – This is the lamp I use as our bedside lamps. It’s definitely a larger lamp (18″ vs the small bedside/accent version which is 13″). I actually bought the smaller version initially, but we have very large nightstands and they looked much too small. The large lamps look perfect on our large nightstands (which are actually small dressers).

Bedside Lamp
Table Lamp as Bedside Lamp

Floor lamps – Total height for average floor lamps are 60 – 70″. If you have a very large space or high ceilings you may opt for over sized floor lamps that are taller.

I have four floor lamps in my home that I’ve purchased over the years and they range significantly in price. The least expensive is similar to this one from IKEA and we purchased it for our first apartment. (It may have been $20.) It’s now in the playroom area of our basement and still works. The most expensive is from Restoration Hardware – it’s nice and heavy and we’ve had it 15 years. I think that I got it on sale but 15 years ago it was $300 full price! My favorite lamp that we purchased about 6 years ago is from Target. I love the look and style of it and it’s a great price under $100.

Floor Lamp
Floor Lamp

Desk lamps – Total height is typically 26 to 34 inches but desk lamps can vary widely depending on their use. We don’t have a ton of desk lamps in our house since our girls are really young. I do have a desk in my bedroom that I bought a few years ago with a little lamp on it from IKEA. I LOVE my desk – it’s very sleek and the perfect size for our bedroom. (I believe the one I have is sold out in white, but this one is really nice too.)

Desk lamp
Desk Lamp

There you have it – all you ever wanted to know about lamps!

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