Floor lamps for living room & standing lamps: Give the room more depth with a floor lamp.
A floor lamp brings the light down to where you live: beside the sofa, over your favorite chair, into the corner the ceiling forgets. Modern and arc floor lamps from Masiero, Rotaliana, Penta, Northern and LZF, chosen the way I would plan them.
Floor lamps by room
For the living roomFor the sofa, the corner and the reading chairExplore →
For the bedroomSlim floor lamps that fit next to the bedExplore →
For the hallwayTall, slim lamps that fit a narrow hallwayExplore →
For the dining roomTall lamps that light up a corner by the tableExplore →
For the kitchenSlim lamps for a breakfast nook or eat-in kitchenExplore →
You already know what you want? Browse every floor lamp and filter by brand, color temperature and finish.
Floor lamps for living room, hallway and corners
Next to the sofa, over a reading chair, in a quiet corner: a floor lamp feels different in every spot. Here is what each place asks for, and the lamps I would choose.
1 of 4 · Living room
Living room floor lamps: light at eye level
Ceiling light alone flattens a living room. A floor lamp brings warmth down to eye level, where you sit and talk, and gives the room a calm zone to rest in. Place it by the sofa, behind an armchair or in the corner that goes dark at night. The Thesis glows through wood veneer, the In the Wind twists into a ribbon of light, and the Link rests under a wide shade.
Our picks for this light
2 of 4 · Torchieres
Torchieres: light that rises to the ceiling
A torchiere turns your ceiling into a soft, glowing sky. The light rises, spreads and falls back gently, with no glare and no hard shadows. The Dry F1 gives 4,800 lm, the Drink F1 4,000 lm with CRI 90, and the Twilight drifts from 3000K down to a candle-warm 1800K. The Diogenes also shines down, so you can read beneath it.
Our picks for this light
3 of 4 · Reading chair
A floor lamp for your reading chair
The best reading light is the one you forget is there. It falls over your shoulder onto the page and never into your eyes. Set it behind the chair, a little to the side. The Me LED Dim bends on a flexible neck, the String F1 gives 700 lm right where you read, the Pin 1660 fits the tightest spot, and the Puk Maxx Floor Mini lights up and down.
Our picks for this light
4 of 4 · Hall and corners
Floor lamps for hallways and quiet corners
A hallway or an empty corner rarely has room to spare, so choose a lamp that is slim or sits low. The Prince F1 sends 5,300 lm up the wall and makes a narrow hall feel wide and open. The Sunset F1 dims to a warm glow, the Diamond shines from a table or right on the floor, and the Baccarat T dresses a corner in crystal.
Our picks for this light
Show me your corner.
You don't have to know which lamp you want. Show me the corner, tell me where you sit and where the outlet is, and I'll find the floor lamp that belongs there.
Daniela Schär, lighting designer for over 15 years
- Send photosEmail me 2-3 photos of the corner or wall, the sofa or chair, and where the outlet is.
- I look at your roomI check where you sit, where the light should land and where a cord would cross the floor.
- Get my picksYou receive specific floor lamps with height, shade and placement, ready to order. Got an outlet nearby already? Then my advice is free. If you need a new one in the floor or wall, I'll plan it as lighting design with a separate quote.
Floor lamps, ready to ship
Mostly brand-new floor lamps from our warehouse, plus unused returns and a few display pieces, ready to ship. Every model is still available at its regular price, and the warehouse price belongs to that one piece.
How to choose the right floor lamp
A floor lamp is the most personal light in a room, because it stands right where you live. Beside the sofa it warms the room, over a reading chair it lights the page, in a corner it washes the wall with a soft glow. Look for one that can be dimmed at a warm 2700K, place it within reach of an outlet and judge the shade from your seat.
Pick a floor lamp in three steps
Sit where you'll use the lamp and look around: where does the room go dark, and how far will the cord reach?
- Find the spot and the outlet
Sketch the room and mark the outlets. A floor lamp is happiest where its cord runs along a wall or under a rug, not across your path. An arc lamp stands by the outlet and reaches over the seat.
Rule of thumbPlan the lamp before the rug goes down, then run the cord along the wall.
Quick checkDoes the cord cross where you walk? Then the lamp is on the wrong side of the seat.
- Check height and glare
Sit down and look at the lamp from your seat. The shade should sit about at eye level, so the light passes your eyes and you never see the bulb. For reading, the head should reach just over your shoulder.
Rule of thumbThe brightest thing in the room should be what you light, never the bulb.
Quick checkCan you see the bulb from the sofa? Then the shade sits too low or too open.
- Choose color temperature and dimming
Living rooms get a warm 2700K, and CRI 90 or higher keeps wood, fabric and skin looking alive. A dimmer on the cord or the wall lets the light follow your day, from a bright afternoon to a slow, golden evening.
Rule of thumbAt 60, your eyes need about four times as much light as at 20, so pick a brighter lamp and dim it down.
Before you buyA lamp dims only if the spec sheet says dimmable, with a cord dimmer or a matching wall dimmer.
How light shapes your day
The slim Pin beside your chair leans its light toward your book, and the rest of the room stays soft.
Hours slip by, and your eyes never tire.
You come home at dusk to three Diamond lamps glowing like lanterns by the window.
Just enough light to drop your keys, kick off your shoes and watch the mountains turn blue.
The ceiling light goes dark, and the Olà behind the sofa settles into a low, golden shimmer.
Conversations slow down, and the room wraps around you.
Would you rather plan it together? Personal lighting design →
Floor lamps, briefly answered
What's the best floor lamp for a living room?
It depends on what you want to feel. For soft light across the room, choose a wide shade or a torchiere beside the sofa. For reading, pick a head you can angle onto the page. An arc lamp reaches over the sofa where there is no ceiling box. Most living rooms love two: one for mood, one for the book.
Where should a standing lamp go in the living room?
Wherever the room goes dark at night: beside the sofa, behind an armchair, in an empty corner. Run the cord along the wall, and for reading, set the lamp on the side opposite your writing hand. Keep the shade out of the TV's reflection.
What is an arc floor lamp?
A floor lamp with a long, curved arm that reaches over the sofa or table from a heavy base. It brings light right over the seat without a ceiling box, like the String XL. Set the base beside the seat and make sure it is heavy enough for the reach.
Which floor lamp is best for reading?
One with a head you can angle, so the light falls over your shoulder onto the page. Look for warm light, CRI 90 or higher and a switch within reach. The Horo STL gives 1,464 lm with CRI over 95, the Pin 1665 980 lm.
Are floor lamps dimmable?
Many are, but not all. The Prince F1, String F1 and XL, Passepartout, Dry F1, Sunset F1 and Thesis dim; the Birdy and the Pin 1660 don't. Check the spec sheet and pair the lamp with a dimmer made for LEDs.
What color temperature should a floor lamp be?
A warm 2700K for a relaxed living room, 3000K where you like colors a little crisper. Look for CRI 90 or higher, and keep one color temperature per room, so every lamp belongs to the same evening.
What makes a floor lamp a designer piece?
The design, the materials and the hands behind it. A designer floor lamp comes from a named designer and is made in small runs, often in Italy or Scandinavia, from aluminum, brass, wood or hand-blown glass. It is beautiful even when it is switched off.
Which floor lamps work in a small living room?
A slim one that barely touches the floor, like the Pin 1660, the String F1 or the Dry F1. A lamp that sends light up makes the ceiling feel higher. Tuck it into a corner, never in the middle of the room.
How tall should a floor lamp be?
Tall enough that the shade sits about at eye level when you're seated, so the light passes your eyes. A reading lamp's head sits a little higher, just over your shoulder. A lamp that washes the ceiling can be taller, since you never look up into it.
Can I get advice before I buy?
Sure. Send me 2-3 photos of the corner and tell me where you sit and read. I'm Daniela Schär, and with over 15 years of lighting design behind me, I'll pick a floor lamp that fits the spot. If the outlet is already there, it costs nothing; new outlets are lighting design with a separate quote.
Still unsure? Send Daniela photos for advice