Floor lamps

A floor lamp can do three different jobs: light a page, fill a corner with light or give the room character. It usually needs no building work, so you can move it and change your mind. Start from what it has to do, then look at height and space.

Standard lamps: how tall they should be

With ceilings of about 2.4 m, a lamp between 150 and 170 cm tall usually works well. With 3 m ceilings, go up to about 180–190 cm. What surrounds it matters too: next to low furniture, a very tall lamp stands alone. Then try it sitting down: the bottom of the shade should be at your eye level or just above, so you do not see the light source.

Tolomeo floor lamp and other reading lights

Reading calls for direct light falling on the page. Place the lamp next to the armchair or slightly behind it, so the light passes over your shoulder without shadows or reflections. Check that the base does not end up between your feet. An arm or adjustable head helps: the Tolomeo by Artemide has balanced arms, and Skan by Vibia, by Lievore Altherr Molina, is a pared-back reading lamp. For reading, guidance ranges from about 400 to 800 lumens; if you can adjust them, you move easily to a softer light.

The arc floor lamp and the space it needs

An arc lamp extends the light over a sofa or table, with no light points on the ceiling. In exchange it takes up more space than others, both on the floor and in width. Before choosing one, measure the space around it and compare it with the product page. The Arco by Flos, by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, 1962, has a Carrara marble base. Mr Magoo by Stilnovo, by Mirco Crosatto, is instead a cloud of light, also available as an arc floor lamp.

Indirect light, like the Stilnovo Luna floor lamp

A lamp pointing upwards bounces the light off the ceiling and walls. It is a soft light, better suited to corners and walls than to reading, and works best with a light-coloured ceiling. Luna by Stilnovo, by Shigeaki Asahara, 2023, has entirely indirect light. Sol by Rotaliana, by Paolo Rizzatto, 2022, is a disc of light shining up and down. Parola by FontanaArte, by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni, 1980, combines three glassworking techniques.

Standard lamps in the living room: corners, sofas, windows

In a dark corner the lamp makes the room feel less small, because the light also reaches the walls and ceiling. Near the window it takes over from daylight when evening comes, ideally with a translucent shade. Next to the television it reduces the contrast with the screen. In a large room one floor lamp is usually not enough: pair it with a ceiling or table lamp on the opposite side.

Floor lamps: which light to choose

In the living room and bedroom a warm white light works well, between 2700 and 3000 K. Keep the same temperature for lights you see together: next to a cool light, a warm lamp looks out of place. The material changes the result: a translucent shade spreads the light around, an opaque one gathers it downwards. With a dimmer the same lamp suits both evening and reading.

To choose by brand, start from the floor lamps of Flos, Artemide, FontanaArte or Stilnovo. For terraces and gardens, see the outdoor floor lamps; for other lamps, go back to Indoor lamps.