Lighting Solutions: How to Select a Table Lamp

Where can I use a Table Lamp?

Unless you have provided lighting from another source, a table lamp should be placed beside each seating piece.

What Size Table Lamp should I use?

Although table lamps on either side of a sofa need not be identical, they should have the same “visual” weight and height. The correct height for a table lamp is determined by the chair/sofa and the height of the table beside it. To avoid glare, the lamp should be tall enough for the bottom of its lampshade to reach the eye level of the person seated next to it.

Table Lamps for Layered Lighting

By bringing the light down to task level, table lamps provide a warmth and intimacy unmatched by overhead fixtures. The average table lamp will light 40-50 square feet. If table lamps are your only source of lighting in a room, you may need up to five lamps in a standard 12×20 foot living room. However, as most apartment and homes have some overhead lighting table lamps can be layered in for task lighting or mood lighting.

Shades

The proper shade will add the finishing touch to your lamp. Bulb wattage is determined by the size of the lampshade.

Anatomy of a Table Lamp