A (Quick) Floor Lamp Style Guide
Standing lamps can bring a bright pool of light to a space, but they also stand out as artful elements that enrich your design. When choosing one, a lot will come down to taste—a subject you’re already an expert on. But it can be helpful to know some common grammar and styles to help you find that perfect piece. Let’s take a look at some to get started on your search.
Classic Floor Lamps
When it comes to transitional appeal, we love something classic. A slender floor lamp topped with a tapered shade cuts an elegant silhouette with an understated impact in the room. Terms like classic or traditional should not be interpreted as stodgy or flat here—designs like this Montcreif Floor Lamp show how, with the right lines and finish, sleek can be stunning.
Tripod Floor Lamps
Tripod lamps are an on-trend style with no sign of fading. They can range from chic metal industrial designs to minimalist Scandi-inspired standing lamps with a light wood base. Sarah Sherman Samuel’s Addie Floor Lamp offers a stylish twist on this concept with a dramatic sweeping design that blends elements of a tripod base with an arc floor lamp.
Arc Floor Lamps
Arc designs make great statement floor lamps. Perched near your sofa, it can serve as a reading lamp with a sweeping silhouette that adds to the room's visual flow. We especially love these modern floor lamps for bringing a retro lighting accent to a transitional design.
Column Floor Lamps
Going for something bold yet understated? We love a monochromatic column design like this natural linen Solstice Floor Lamp—simple shapes, stunning impact. Column floor lamps can also have more intricate designs with carved ceramic or wood bases that bring rich texture to the room.
Adjustable Floor Lamps
Adjustable designs work great for task light. You can place a task floor lamp near a workspace or seat to add light without taking up the surface space a table lamp would. We love a classic pharmacy lamp like this Henderson Floor Lamp for its inspiring industrial charm and a subtle touch of patina.
How to Choose the Right Floor Lamp
Lighting is an essential element in getting your space just right. Floor lights are a critical part of your overall lighting scheme and provide a dynamic layer of light to a living space or transitional area. They are a great way to balance and fill out the lighting in a room while adding a point of visual appeal. Compared to other lights, standing lamps share a particularly close relationship to the other decor in a room as they sit alongside these pieces, occupying floor space. For this reason, floor lamps should look good as a part of the whole room’s aesthetic, not just as a standalone piece.
Like any element, the perfect lamp is only as good as its placement in your home. When shopping and styling a floor lamp, you want to think of the space as a whole—how the light plays in that space and how the physical footprint fits into the flow and use of the room. Let’s look room by room at how floor lamps can be styled for impact in your design.
Bedroom Floor Lamps
Bedroom lighting should offer warmth and subtlety. That’s why lamps are such an essential element in this space. A floor lamp in the corner with a comfy boucle chair can create a cozy corner nook for reading and coffee. You can also style a task floor lamp near a vanity or dressing area—nobody should dress in the dark. If you’re short on floor space, consider a plug-in sconce light as a space-saving yet still style-forward alternative.
Living Room Floor Lamps
In your living room lighting edit, standing lamps can be a great way to layer in ambient or task light while bringing a sculptural dimension to your edit. Living rooms are often dynamic spaces, transitioning from social areas that people pass through to cozy lounges for quieter comfort. Keep this in mind when styling a floor lamp. Start by thinking of the lamp’s purpose. Is it for ambient light, task light, or highlighting a corner feature?—This will help you not only position the lamp but also inform you how elements such as the height of the lamp or how the shade directs light.
Home Office Floor Lamps
A home office is a functional space but it can also be a brilliant venue for expressing a more personal style. We love the practical touch of an adjustable floor lamp—but don’t confuse functional lighting with low-aesthetic lighting. Use our filters to shop by feature (such as adjustable or dimmable designs) to find the functionality you need in a statement floor lamp you love.
Where to Place a Floor Lamp
As some styles come into focus, it is important to picture how you will be using the lamp. In traditional design thinking, there are three types of lighting. Ambient lighting helps illuminate a given area to bolster the feel of the space, task lighting is directed light with a specific purpose, and accent lighting is used to enhance the dimension of an area or draw attention to a focal point. Floor lamps can offer ambient, task, or accent lighting to a space depending on the design and how and where you style them.
Several tall lamps throughout a room, for example, can provide an even ambient pool of light that is gentler than overhead lighting for late-night entertaining or lounging. More directional floor reading lamps styled next to a plush accent chair offer a great source of task lighting in a reading nook or just as a less intrusive source of light in a dynamic living space. You may even want to style a floor lamp on one or both sides of your sofa as an accent light to draw attention to the area as a focal point. Tall lamps can also be used as accent lighting in the corner of a room to accentuate the dimensions of a transitional area or open living space.
Lulu and Georgia Floor Lamps
A floor lamp can offer almost endless potential to augment any style of home design. It can serve as a bold accent that draws the eye to a focal point in the room, or it can be an ambient pool that helps you find your best lighting throughout the day, inspiring a warm and elevating ambiance. Lighting is a fundamental part of our design story that profoundly impacts how we live and enjoy our spaces. Be bold and creative as you find the best floor lamps for your look.
Whichever way you decide to style it, remember that your floor lights allow you the flexibility to showcase the nuances of your design aesthetic. Loved ones and visitors can immediately get a sense of who you are by seeing how you have utilized this lighting element to build on your home's look.
When you shop for floor lamps at Lulu and Georgia, you'll find pieces that will complement the style of your home while also making it feel more elevated. Browse and choose from our wide selection of modern floor lamps and find the perfect choice for your project, no matter what you are looking for. Check out our Shop by Room page for more ideas and inspiration on creating stylish everyday living spaces.
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