The simplest way of illuminating a dark corner in any interior space is to add some atmospheric or task lighting with your choice of floor or desk lamp. Today, there is a wide variety of desk and floor lamps on the market, in almost every conceivable design, shape, colour, dimension and lighting ability. A good quality lamp will allow you to work more efficiently and in greater comfort – whether you are reading, studying, paying bills, doing crafts or needlepoint, or if you just need to light up an otherwise dull space.

 

Desk and floor lamps are an essential form of task and ambient lighting in any home. However, the diverse range of lamps on the market today provides consumers with such a wide range of choices, that what would seem at first glance to be a hassle-free purchase, could become more complicated than one would like to think. However, choosing the right lamp for your purposes need not be a complicated process at all – here are a few buying tips on how to go about selecting the ideal lamp for your particular requirements:

Things to consider before buying a desk or floor lamp:

What kind of light do you need?
Before you purchase a lamp, you will need to first determine what kind of lighting you require – is it bright task lighting, mood lighting, or a lamp with multiple brightness settings that can serve as a source of both task and ambient lighting? The task performed at the work surface in question will, to a large extent, determine this, as will the amount of natural and ambient lighting in the room already.

 

A matter of style
Desk and floor lamps come in a wide variety of designs and styles – from very traditional to über contemporary. It is always best if your choice of lamp complements the existing décor in the room in which it is featured. However, sometimes juxtaposing one style with another, such as including a really contemporary lamp in an otherwise traditional study for example, can work well for a dramatic effect.

Free-standing versus attached lamps
Which one of these you will choose will depend on the work surface you have available. Free-standing lamps are a great option if the work performed is either space flexible or if it does not require the entire desktop. An attached or fixed desk, with a clamp, is useful on a work surface where space is at a premium, the entire work surface is required for the task at hand, or if the work surface needs to be tilted, such as drafting tables for example.

Checking the swing arm
Essentially, a swing arm allows the base of the lamp to remain stationary, while the lamp head is moved from side to side or up and down. There are many different ways of making spring arms work, including springs, small hydraulics, tightening screws, flexible arms and counterweight systems. Swing arms are available on both free-standing and attached lamps, and being able to direct the light exactly where it is needed makes this a very useful additional to any lamp. Before you purchase a lamp, make sure that the swing arm is stable enough to ensure that the lamp head stays where you want it for as long as you need it there.

 

Be energy wise
Once you have selected your lamp, you will need to select a globe for it. Energy-saving options include halogen, LED and fluorescent globes. The traditional incandescent globes are very inefficient and should not be avoided at all costs.

Do you need a magnifying desk lamp?
Magnifying desk lamps have become very popular – they help to magnify words in a book or newspaper, or parts of a project that you are working on. This kind of lamp provides you with precision lighting that helps reduce eyestrain, especially if you are working at night or for long hours on the same project. – Antonella Desi

Pictures courtesy of The Lighting Warehouse.

Readers' Comments Have a comment about this article? Email us now.