Table lamps

Table Lamps:
Table lamps come in all sorts of styles, shapes, and sizes - are portable - and in one fixture you can combine all three types of lighting: task, ambient, and accent.

Locations for table lamps are used include: bedroom, casual or formal dining room, den, study, office, game room, entry or hallway, kitchen, living room, outdoor/garden, and bathroom.

There are many different styles such as: urban contemporary, traditional classics, transitional, country cottage, architectural/mission, rustic/lodge, primitive, crystal, art deco, tropical, old world, task, whimsical, Victorian, Tiffany, Oriental, Moroccan, Early American, Southwestern, etc.

Choose the table lamp that matches your decor and think about the light output in terms of lamp size, bulb usage and shade type. A larger lamp will most likely provide more light and make a large decorative statement in a room. A small lamp will produce a lovely accent light elsewhere. Table lamps should be combined with other types of general light in a large room to create a balanced effect.

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

Designers recommend using table lamps as the principle lighting source in a room. By bringing the light down to task level, table lamps provide a warmth and intimacy unmatched by overhead fixtures.

Tips:

1. Choose a lamp of an appropriate size. On a petite nesting table or narrow console, a candlestick lamp may be best. A roomy end table can accommodate a more bulky ginger jar. Although table lamps on either side of a sofa or loveseat don't have to 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.

2. Make sure the table lamp is tall enough to cast its light over your shoulder. The bottom of the shade should be about even with your cheekbone when you're sitting in a chair, and the light's beam should fall on the page if you're reading. Also, check that the bottom edge of the shade hides the lamp's bulb socket when the lamp is viewed from a few feet away. This will make the lamp more attractive as well as reduce the potential for glare

3. Consider the lamp's style. A high-tech swing-arm lamp will look out of place on a carved Victorian table, while a faceted crystal-and-shiny-brass table lamp is likely to be jarring on a Shaker or Mission night stand.

4. A reading lamp should offer 150 or more watts.

5. A white or off-white fabric shade usually provides a translucent quality and high light output. A darker or opaque shade will limit the light output, which is suitable in entryways. If you are able to see the lamp's bulb when sitting down, adjust the shade to reduce glare.

6. Sometimes you can switch to a different-sized lamp harp (the metal framework that supports the shade) to make a lamp more functional and attractive. A shorter harp may lower the edge of the shade enough to hide the lamp's bulb socket.

7. Try to keep the bulb less than 36 inches away from the object being lit. A desk lamp should be only 15 inches away from the work surface.

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