Sculpt your living spaces with delicate, well-crafted luminosity. From mood-setting ambient light to precise task lighting, Motivo Decor offers a range of versatile floor lamps that will enhance your decor and enrich the small moments in your life.
Where to Put Floor Lamp in Living Room?
A floor lamp brings life to a dark corner or overlooked nook, transforming it into a cozy spot for reading and conversing. It also serves as a statement piece, effortlessly complementing your existing living room decor and elevating the space's style. For a sophisticated aesthetic, opt for a floor lamp with a translucent or sheer shade that allows light to pass through, creating a soft and ethereal glow. Pair your floor lamp with a natural-light source, such as a window, to create a seamless blend of artificial and natural lighting, resulting in an enchanting living room that radiates warmth and sophistication.
Floor lamps have a built-in base, meaning they don't take up valuable space on nightstands or accent tables, making them an ideal solution for smaller living rooms. They're also more stable than table lamps, so you don't have to worry about children or pets knocking them over. Plus, they can illuminate a seating area without blocking the view of an impressive artwork or piece of furniture.
Whether you're looking to fill an empty corner, illuminate a reading nook, or highlight a piece of art, there are plenty of spots in your living room that can benefit from the addition of a floor lamp. Choose from a variety of styles, such as torchiere lamps with a sleek silhouette and bowl-shaped shade that's perfect for creating ambient lighting or arc lamps that resemble sculptural art pieces. There are even options with multiple arms or branches that can be adjusted to direct light where you need it most.
A floor lamp is also an ideal choice for illuminating a gallery-like setting or a foyer, transforming it into a welcoming space where visitors can enjoy the art and your home's decor. Choose a style that effortlessly integrates with your living room decor, such as a steel arc lamp or a tall wooden option that's perfect for complementing rustic and country-style furnishings. Or, opt for a contemporary variant that offers an unexpected design feature or flourish, such as a sculptural base or a dazzling color palette.
How Tall Should a Floor Lamp Be?
Floor lamps tend to be much taller than table or desk lamps, with the lamp head and bulb often at chest height or higher. They're designed to illuminate larger areas of a room as well as serve as focal points and conversation pieces. For that reason, floor lamps tend to have a bolder aesthetic than their table and desk counterparts. They are a great choice for living rooms, bedrooms, home offices, and even dining rooms.
Choosing a floor lamp height begins with deciding what your primary use for the piece will be. Do you need cozy task lighting to finish a book, or do you want soft ambiance for after-dinner drinks? Your answer should guide your decision on not just the lamp height but also the type of light bulb you choose. Taller lamps can hold powerful bulbs, giving you full-room illumination, while smaller ones may need a lower wattage to provide just the right amount of mood lighting.
You'll also want to consider any other lighting fixtures in the room when determining a floor lamp height. If your living room already has a lot of overhead ambient lighting, a tall floor lamp can look out of proportion and even cause unwanted glare in some situations. Conversely, if your ceilings are very high, a short floor lamp can leave you with a dark, uninviting space.
When in doubt, a good rule of thumb is to aim for a floor lamp that's a little shorter than your height when standing up. This will ensure that the shade isn't too close to your eyes and doesn't create an awkward glare or shadow when reading or relaxing.
Another factor when considering a floor lamp height is the weight of the lamp itself and its base. Some styles, like tripods and arc lamps, can be heavy enough to be dangerous if not placed on a stable surface. For safety, make sure you know how much a lamp weighs before buying it, and be prepared to place it on a sturdy surface or against a wall to prevent tipping.
What Type of Lighting Do I Need?
There are many types of floor lamps to choose from, including arc, torchiere, and tree styles. Each has its own distinct benefits and purposes. Some are ideal for illuminating seating areas, while others brighten up nooks, reading spaces, and more. Most importantly, it’s important to consider what your specific needs are before choosing a lamp.
For example, if you’re looking for a versatile reading light, try an arc lamp that swivels and pivots to direct the light toward your favorite nook or chair. Some models have a tilting shade for even more customization. A torchiere, on the other hand, has an upward-facing shade that adds dimension to corners and walls. Some even offer a dimmer switch to control the amount of brightness.
Other factors that influence what type of lamp to choose include the base size and the shape of the shade. Ambient floor lamps typically feature a slim base and a shade that diffuses for semi-direct lighting. For task lights, choose a design that is sturdy, stable, easy to move, and features a long arm. Also look for a high color rendering index (CRI) rating, which indicates how well a lamp reproduces colors so they’re vibrant and realistic.
Layering floor lighting can also be a wonderful way to brighten up dark corners in a room and eliminate shadows from the ceiling. This is a simple yet effective trick that will improve the overall quality of your space, making it feel bigger and more inviting. You can also create a balanced look with other lighting options, such as wall sconces, pendants, and chandeliers. Just be sure not to overcrowd your space with too much lighting, as it can cause a claustrophobic effect.
How Much Light Do I Need?
Whether you live in an apartment with pre-installed overhead lights or a house that’s been pre-wired for wall and ceiling lighting, floor lamps provide welcome, ambient illumination to your living room. In addition to creating a softer light that helps protect your eyes from harsh contrasts on glossy objects, they can help reduce glare on your TV or laptop. They also offer more flexibility than traditional ceiling fixtures, which can be a wonderful way to illuminate dark corners or add depth to an open floor plan.
To determine how much light you need, start by calculating your room’s square footage in either feet or meters. Then use our handy luminosity calculator to calculate how many lumens (or watts, if you prefer) it will take to achieve your desired level of brightness. You can then find a lamp with an appropriate bulb output to match your measurement.
Once you’ve determined the amount of light your space needs, think about the type of lighting you want to create. For example, you may want to sculpt your living room with a mood-setting ambient glow, which a shaded floor lamp can provide. Or you might need a task floor lamp for reading or working, in which case an arc or torchiere lamp is a smart choice.
When choosing a floor lamp, look for one with a sturdy base and a well-balanced design. A good balance means that the height of the lamp at its tallest point is around the same as the width of the base. The Noguchi Isamu floor lamp, for instance, has a slim pole and base with a classic silhouette that’s both sturdy and minimalist. Its spun paper shade is a nod to mid-century style, and its appearance is so refined that it appears far more expensive than its price tag.
Aside from illuminating your reading nook, a floor lamp can also add warmth and depth to a living room by filling in any dark spots that might exist. This is especially important for apartments or houses with open floor plans, where the centralized overhead lighting of a single room can sometimes leave gaps in your living space’s illumination. Placing a floor lamp or two, as well as table lamps and accent pieces, can help fill in these holes and make the space feel more cohesive.