Bedside lamps

In Italian, an abat-jour is a lamp with a shade, and in particular a bedside lamp: that is how the Treccani dictionary defines it. On this page you will find table lamps suited to the bedside, even without a true shade.

Bedside lamps: height and position

Sitting up in bed, the bottom of the shade should be at about eye level: otherwise you risk seeing the bulb and being dazzled. On a standard bedside table this usually means a lamp about 60–70 cm tall, but it depends on the height of the bed and the table.

Compact models suit a small bedside table: Eclisse is 18 cm tall, Dalù 26 cm. If the surface is too small, you can keep it clear with a wall lamp.

Bedside lamps for reading: how much light you need

For reading, recommendations range from about 400 to 800 lumens. A light-coloured shade or an adjustable head works well, so the light stays on the page and does not disturb whoever is sleeping beside you. On the bedside a warm light works well, between 2700 and 3000 K.

Many lamps have an integrated LED, which often cannot be replaced: check the lumens, kelvin and colour rendering (Ra) on the product page before choosing. If you want to adjust the light with a dimmer, make sure it is suitable for LEDs.

Famous designer bedside lamps: from Eclisse to Glo-Ball

Eclisse and Dalù are by Vico Magistretti. Eclisse, from 1965, adjusts the light by rotating the inner dome; Dalù, in coloured polycarbonate, dates from the 1960s. Glo-Ball by Flos is by Jasper Morrison, IC by Michael Anastassiades. Bilia by FontanaArte, with its metal cone and glass sphere, is a 1932 design by Gio Ponti.

Kushi by Alberto Saggia and Valerio Sommella, from 2015, is a blown glass sphere on a slender stem, and the brand itself calls it its icon. Clizia by Adriano Rachele, for Slamp, is made of squares of Opalflex stitched by hand.

Rechargeable bedside lamps, to move where you need them

A rechargeable lamp does not need a socket near the bed and can be taken to another room. They include Bellhop Tavolo by Flos, Clizia Battery by Slamp, Kushi Tavolo Mobile by Kundalini and Bilia Mini Portable by FontanaArte. Not all versions of a family are rechargeable: check the product page.

Artemide, Flos and Slamp bedside lamps: where to start

Flos lamps also include Bellhop by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. To see all the models from a brand, start from the table lamps of Artemide, Flos or Slamp. For the desk and the living room, go back to Table lamps.