Choose a floor lamp by where the light has to land: out over a seat, onto a page, into the room or up a narrow corner. The floor lamps in the designer lighting collection do this in four ways.
The Arc style marble floor lamp stands 240 cm high and measures 230 cm deep, so its shade sits out over a seat while the base stays to one side. Its product page suggests it for a sectional sofa or a reading chair.
For reading, choose a head you can point. The BL3 style floor lamp's arm tilts and extends. The bell-shaded lamp credited to Christian Dell has a shade and arm that tilt, and its page calls it suitable as a reading light. On the MFL-1 style floor lamp, credited to Serge Mouille, the shade adjusts but the arm length is fixed.
The Panthella style floor lamp, credited to Verner Panton, has a hemispherical shade that directs light downwards while the shade material diffuses it. Its page suggests it for living rooms and reading corners.
The Parentesi style lamp, credited to Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù, runs 350 cm from floor to ceiling, and its light moves up or down a supporting wire. At 12 cm across it takes almost no floor space. Its specification lists it as wired like a normal ceiling light, so check that line before you order. See the A and P Castiglioni page for more.
Base and weight decide where a floor lamp can stand and how easily it moves. The eight compared here range from under 3 kg to 65 kg.
The Arc style lamp weighs 65 kg, with a heavy natural marble base acting as the counterweight to its arch. That is more than eight times the next heaviest lamp here, the BL3 style lamp at 8 kg.
Most take little floor space. The Christian Dell style lamp measures 21 by 21 cm, the BL3 style lamp 26.5 cm wide, the Panthella style lamp 40 cm across and the MFL-1 style lamp 46 cm deep. The Arc style lamp is 33 cm wide but 230 cm deep, so the arch sets the space it needs. Check that depth against the distance from the wall to the seat.
The Parentesi style lamp weighs 2.7 kg and the Christian Dell style lamp 2.95 kg. The AJ style lamp, credited to Arne Jacobsen, weighs 3.2 kg, and the Grasshopper style lamp, credited to Greta Grossman, 5.6 kg. The MFL-1, Panthella and BL3 style lamps weigh 6 kg, 7.7 kg and 8 kg. If the light only needs to reach a desk or bedside, browse table lamps instead.
Heights vary widely. Among the lamps compared on this page, the Christian Dell style lamp stands 125 to 135 cm and the Panthella style lamp 130 cm. The AJ style lamp is 132 cm, the BL3 style lamp 150 cm and the MFL-1 style lamp 160 cm. The Arc style lamp rises to 240 cm, and the Parentesi style lamp runs 350 cm from floor to ceiling.
Most plug straight in. Six of the eight compared here list a UK and Euro plug: the AJ, Grasshopper, Arc, Panthella, BL3 and Christian Dell style lamps. The MFL-1 style lamp also comes with a cord and plug, but its specification advises an electrician. The Parentesi style lamp runs from floor to ceiling and is listed as wired like a normal ceiling light. Check the Electrical or Power line before you order.
Check the fitting on each product page, because it varies. The AJ, Grasshopper, Arc, Parentesi and Christian Dell style lamps take one E27 bulb, and the Panthella style lamp takes three. The MFL-1 and BL3 style lamps take a smaller E14 bulb. None of the eight includes a bulb. Wattage limits differ too: the Arc style lamp takes up to 100 W, the BL3 style lamp 40 W.
Some can, with a separate switch or device. The Grasshopper style lamp is dimmed by an independent switch, and the Panthella style lamp is listed as dimmable with an independent switch. The Parentesi style lamp is dimmable, but its dimmer is an independent device that is not included. If dimming matters, check the Dimmable line in the product specification before you order, and buy a dimmer to suit.
It depends on the lamp. Four of the eight compared here need no assembly: the AJ, Grasshopper, BL3 and Christian Dell style lamps. On the Panthella style lamp you fit the shade to the base. The Parentesi style lamp needs assembly, and the Arc style lamp needs full assembly and is packed in three boxes. The Assembly line in each product specification gives the detail before you order.
An arc lamp can, without a ceiling point. The Arc style lamp's product page presents it as over-table lighting with no hardwiring: it stands 240 cm high and measures 230 cm deep, so the shade can sit out over a table while the marble base stays beside it. For a light that hangs straight down from the ceiling over the table, browse pendant lighting.
Black and white are the most common finishes. The grid's colour filter counts 15 lamps in black and 11 in white, with chrome, orange, gold, rose gold and other finishes on fewer pieces. Several lamps come in more than one finish, which you choose on the product page. Use the grid's Colour filter to see only the lamps offered in the finish you want.
Some pieces and finishes are held in stock for faster dispatch, and others take longer. Of the eight compared here, the AJ, Grasshopper and Panthella style lamps show a faster dispatch line, and the other five show a longer lead time. The grid's Express Delivery filter narrows the list, and each product page shows its current lead time under the Add to Cart button.
Dust it with a soft, dry cloth. The product pages add a few specifics: avoid abrasive cleaners on the Christian Dell style lamp, keep the Panthella style lamp away from water, and wipe the Arc style lamp's marble base with a neutral cleaner before polishing the arch with a dry cloth. The Parentesi style lamp's page also suggests checking its cable tension from time to time.
