Floor Lamps and Standard Lamps in Black and Brass

A floor lamp does the job a ceiling light cannot: it puts light where people actually sit, at the height of a book rather than the height of the room. One in the corner behind an armchair changes an evening more than anything fitted overhead, and it costs nothing in wiring because it plugs into the wall.

Standard Lamps and Floor Lamps

The two words mean the same thing. Standard lamp is the older British term and still the one plenty of people use; floor lamp is what most makers print on the box. Either way it is a lamp on a tall stem with its own base, standing on the floor rather than on furniture, and everything on this page answers to both names.

Floor Lamps in Black and Brass

Two finishes cover most of what people want. Black is the quiet one — it disappears against a dark wall and reads as a line rather than an object, which suits a room that already has enough going on. Brass is the opposite: warmer, and it catches the light it gives off, so it carries a corner where there is nothing else to look at. Antique brass sits between the two, with the shine knocked off it.

Finish matters more on a floor lamp than on almost any other light, because the stem is at eye level when you are sitting down and there is a metre of it on show.

Tripod Floor Lamps

A tripod stands on three splayed legs instead of one weighted disc. It takes up more floor but reads lighter, because you can see through the base to the skirting behind, which is why it suits a small room better than the shape suggests. The trade is placement: three legs need clearance on all sides and will not tuck flat against a wall or into a corner the way a round base does.

Adjustable Floor Lamps for Reading

Some designs tilt or extend so the light lands where you want it rather than straight down. Next to a reading chair that is the difference between a lamp you use and an ornament, and it is worth checking before you buy: a fixed lamp beside a sofa lights the sofa, not the page.

Every Floor Lamp Comes With Its Shade

Each one is supplied complete, so there is nothing to work out about fittings, diameters or drops. If you later want a different look, the shade is the cheapest thing on a lamp to change and there is a separate range of them — but nothing here arrives needing one.

Where to Put a Floor Lamp

Behind or beside seating, and slightly back from it. A lamp directly beside your shoulder throws light across the page; one placed in front puts the glare in your eyes. Corners work because they bounce light off two walls at once, which is why one lamp in a corner lifts a room more than two in the middle of it.

Floor lamps are built to living room scale, so they suit a lounge, a snug or a room with an armchair in it more than they suit a bedroom, where the height tends to overshoot the furniture.

Light is the one thing a photograph cannot show you. A brass stem in daylight and the same lamp lit at nine in the evening are two different objects, and the shade decides how much of that light goes up the wall and how much lands on the floor. The Enniskillen showroom has them switched on, which settles it faster than any description.

Common Questions About Floor Lamps

Is a standard lamp the same as a floor lamp?

Yes. Standard lamp is the traditional British name and floor lamp is the one most makers use now. There is no difference in the product.

Do floor lamps come with a shade?

Every one on this page does. The shade is matched to the lamp by the maker, so it arrives ready to plug in.

Where should a floor lamp go in a living room?

Beside or just behind the seating rather than in front of it, and a corner is usually the best spot in the room. Keep the flex run in mind: the nearest socket decides more placements than the design does.

Are tripod floor lamps stable?

Three splayed legs give a wider footprint than a single round base, so they are steady — but they need floor space on all three sides and are not the choice for a tight corner or a walkway.

Can a floor lamp go in a bedroom?

It can, though most are made at living room height and will stand taller than a bedside table or a chest of drawers. A table lamp usually suits a bedroom better.