Table Lamps

How to choose the right table lamp

What makes a good bedside lamp?

For a bedside lamp, choose a matched pair to frame the bed and give soft, even reading light, or a single lamp where a nightstand is tight. Pick a base heavy enough not to tip, and a switch you can reach half-asleep. Our designers style Bouclair's table lamps in white, black, natural, and amber glass finishes to suit a calm bedroom.

How tall should a bedside lamp be?

Size a bedside lamp so the bottom of the shade lands near eye level when you sit up in bed, usually a lamp around 24 to 28 inches on a standard nightstand. Go shorter and you lose the reading light; go taller and the bulb glares. As a quick check, match the lamp and nightstand together to roughly the mattress top plus your seated torso.

Where else do table lamps work?

Place a small table lamp on a living room console, an entry table, or a shelf wherever you want a pool of light and a decorative base at eye level. On an end table, use a lamp to balance overhead light and soften the evening. Treat the base as décor, since it sits in view: choose a ceramic-look base to read soft or a metal one to read sharp.

Should bedside lamps match?

Choose a matched pair for the safe, symmetrical look that almost always reads pulled-together. To break symmetry on purpose, pick two lamps of similar height and tone but different bases for interest without chaos, and keep the shades the same for even light. Or shop a curated collection where our designers have already paired the lamps to the room.