The only way to know if a lamp works as it should is to touch it, build it, turn it on and off, and live with it. Our favorite lamps are as attractive as they are highly functional and durable, and we think most people will find an option that suits their taste. Some floor lamps are great for reading, others wash the room with a warm glow, and still others do both. Even if a lamp slips perfectly behind your couch, a hard-to-access foot switch could be a dealbreaker. This guide builds on the work of Gregory Han , a Los Angeles—based design-and-lifestyle writer, who wrote the original roundup.
He is the author of our guides to bedside lamps and tulip light shades. For this guide, they did the following:. We focused on a range of styles including task, console, tripod, tree, arc, and rod lamps. In addition to reading the small print regarding the warranty and returns, we scoured the hundreds of comments and reviews associated with each lamp we considered. After this initial research, we brought the most attractive and promising floor lamps into our offices and homes for in-person testing.
We evaluated how easy it was to install lamps, as well as to turn them on and off. We inspected the quality of the materials, including the cord and the switch, and the sturdiness of the construction. We also used the lamps as you would in your own home—relying on them for reading on the sofa and for creating ambience in a room. This striking two-in-one lamp includes a torch lamp for ambient lighting and a task lamp that can pivot to wherever you need it.
The poles wiggle a little, though. The upward-facing shade provides indirect light for the rest of the room. It has a striking silhouette. We love the white-shaded, brass-finished option with warm leather details, but it also comes in a moody matte-black version with a solid marble base. The task lamp pivots. In the white version shown here, the poles and base are iron coated with a polished-brass finish.
The shades are finished with a matte-white powder coating. The black option is also constructed with iron, but the base is marble. The leather accents thin straps wrapped around the middle section of each pole hold up over time—even in a dry climate, according to a long-term tester who has been using the lamp since The somewhat-wiggly poles may be off-putting to some.
