Floor Lamps

Choosing a floor lamp

A floor lamp adds light where the ceiling light doesn't reach: beside the sofa, behind a reading chair or in a dark corner. Start with what the lamp is for, then choose the style.

Types of floor lamp

• Uplighters point light at the ceiling, which bounces it around the room. They work well as general light in a living room.
• Reading lamps have an adjustable head or a second arm, sometimes called mother and child lamps, to put light on a book.
• Arc lamps curve over a sofa or coffee table from a heavy base, so the light hangs in the middle of the room without a ceiling point.
• Tripod lamps stand on three legs, in wood or metal, usually with a fabric shade that gives a soft, warm light.
• Floor lamps with shelves combine a lamp and a narrow shelf unit, handy beside a bed or sofa where there's no room for a side table.
• Corner and spiral LED lamps give a slim column of light, often colour changing.

Bulbs, dimming and colour

Some lamps take a standard E27 bulb, so you choose the brightness and colour yourself. Others have LEDs built in, and many of those let you change brightness and colour temperature with a remote, a touch switch or an app. Warm white, around 2700K to 3000K, suits living rooms and bedrooms. Cooler white suits a desk or a craft table.

Height and base

Most floor lamps stand somewhere between 140cm and 180cm tall, and each listing gives the exact height. Check the base as well. Arc lamps need a heavy, wide base to stay upright, and tripods take up a little more floor than a single pole.

See table lamps and more in our floor and table lamps collection, or ceiling lights for the main light in the room. Delivery is free to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and orders arrive in 3.1 working days on average.