Journal

How to choose a table lamp for your living room

By Cristina y RafaPublished on 11 October 20263 min read

Choose a table lamp whose shade sits roughly at eye level when you are seated, and that is no wider than the table it stands on. In a living room, a warm white LED bulb, around 2700 K, works best. And since the lamp will always be on show, pick a piece you also enjoy looking at when it is switched off.

Olive wood table lamp with a beige linen shade, handmade in Malaga, Spain

Height: the edge of the shade at eye level when you are seated.
Width: the shade, never wider than the table.
Light: warm white LED, around 2700 K.
For reading: 450 to 800 lumens.

Height: light without glare

When you sit on the sofa, the bottom of the shade should be roughly at eye level. That way the light falls on your book and the bulb does not shine in your face.

As a guide, that is usually about 100–110 cm from the floor, including the table.

Look at both measurements together: a low side table calls for a taller lamp, and a tall sideboard for a more compact one.

Proportions: shade and base

The shade should be no wider than the table it stands on. If it overhangs, it looks unbalanced and is easy to knock.

A classic guideline: the shade should be about two thirds of the height of the base.

Table lamp with an olive wood base and a beige linen shade — An olive wood base with plenty of visual weight balances a generous linen shade.

A wooden base shifts the numbers a little: a trunk or a root carries a lot of visual weight and can take a slightly larger shade.

A trick: before you decide, mark the outline of the lamp on the table with masking tape.

Where to place it in the living room

Next to the sofa, on a side table: for reading or as ambient light.
On a sideboard or console: a mid-height point of light that makes the room feel warmer in the evening.
On a shelf or in a corner: it lights what the ceiling light leaves in shadow.

Olive wood lamp with a linen shade on a piece of furniture, next to a plant — At mid height, on a piece of furniture, the lamp creates a corner of warm light.

A table lamp does not have to light the whole room: it works best alongside other lights at different heights.

The bulb: colour temperature, brightness and fitting

Colour temperature: warm white, around 2700 K. From about 4000 K the light turns cool.
Brightness: for reading, 450 to 800 lumens, what old 40 to 60 W bulbs gave.
Fitting and wattage: check on the product page whether it is E27 (large screw) or E14 (small) and what wattage it takes.
Choose LED: it runs much cooler, which matters in a wooden lamp.

With a shade or with an exposed bulb

A shade spreads and softens the light: it is the most comfortable option for reading.

Olive root lamp with an exposed filament bulb, switched on — With an exposed bulb, the lamp becomes more sculptural.

With an exposed bulb, the lamp works mainly as ambient light. Choose a low-output decorative filament bulb so it does not dazzle.

A lamp worth looking at when it is off

During the day, a table lamp is just another object in the room. It is worth choosing one that adds something even when it is off.

Close-up of the grain of an olive wood base — Olive wood grain, up close.

A good piece of wood, with its grain and its marks, brings warmth and texture without being switched on.

At Veta & Lux we make every lamp by hand in Malaga, Spain, from reclaimed wood, and no two are the same. We explain where the wood comes from in materials and provenance, and if you need specific dimensions, we also make bespoke lamps.

See the pieces available, with their dimensions, in our collection.