Set the scene with our guide to where and how to use table lamps, then shop our edit of this season’s best offerings.
Nothing influences the way your home feels more than the lighting – and table lamps can help you go from functional to atmospheric at the flick of a switch.
Whether you need a pop of playful colour or a pool of warm, mood-enhancing light, almost every space can be improved by the right lamp.
So, with just a couple of weeks until the clocks go back and the nights really start to draw in, now is the perfect time to explore our edit of the best table lamps on the market and our tips for choosing the right lamp for your space.
Where to use table lamps
The short answer is to use table lamps in any room that needs to feel warm, welcoming or cosy. Think beyond bedside reading lamps and consider low level lighting for entrance halls, landings and even kitchen-diners.
Lamps in bedrooms
Image: Hello Geronimo
A stylish lamp on a bedside table makes a bedroom look considered and inviting.
Pick a lamp whose proportions work with your table, and opt for shades which allow enough light through for reading.
A good rule of thumb is to go for a lamp roughly one-third the width of your bedside table and a few centimetres taller than the height of your table.
For a balanced scheme, dot two or three additional lamps on chests of drawers or side tables to light the room without needing the ‘big light’ (otherwise known as the ceiling light).
Living rooms lamps
Image: Hello Geronimo
All rooms benefit from layered lighting at different levels but this is especially true of living rooms.
Start with a table lamp and/or floor lamp in each corner then play with additional lamps in alcoves and/or shelving units to bring depth and character – these are great places to introduce colour and pattern.
Look out for battery powered table lamps to use in places without a socket nearby.
Lamps for hallways and landings
Image: Hello Geronimo
Bright ceiling lights might be useful when looking for a dropped earring or missing button but put them on a dimmer and add a table lamp to a console table and your functional hallway will quickly feel like part of your living space.
Hallway lamps are particularly worthwhile in broken- or open-plan homes, when you don’t want your cosy living room lighting to be spoilt by the glare of a hallway spotlight.
Can you use lamps in kitchens and bathrooms?
Kitchen lighting needs to be functional but once food has been prepped and you’re relaxing with a glass of wine, a table lamp on your counter or island adds instant warmth and personality.
The same rule applies to bathrooms but make sure any lamps you use in these rooms are IP rated.
Image: Houseof.com
The best table lamps for 2023
Update a room, create pockets of loveliness or inject some fun into your home with our selection of the best table lamps from our favourite brands.
Make a statement with some bold colour:
1. Mustard yellow: HK Living
2. Deep red: John Lewis
3. Sky Blue: Rose and Grey
4. Lime Green: Bias Editions
5. Citrus mix: Made In Design
6. Pink: Nest
7. Grey: Birdie Fortescue
Have fun with some playful pattern:
1. Pink & red check: Rockett St George
2. Leopard: Anthropologie
3. Green painted: Palefire
4. Green/white stripe: Made In Design
5. Bold blue: Glasette
6. Striped red: Pooky
7. Yellow & white check: Oliver Bonas
Stick to neutrals in busier spaces:
1. Hare: Graham and Green
2. Bobbin: Pooky
3. Twist: Soho Home
4. Cubes: Houseof
5. Green base: Birdie Fortescue
6. Moulded base: Cox & Cox
7. Dusky pink: Abigail Ahern
Keep things contemporary:
1. Cone pendulum: Luxdeco
2. Leaning dome: Skandium
3. Mustard cone: Folk Interiors
4. Orb: Houseof
5. Crescent cone: Ferm living
6. Gold dome: Tom Dixon
7. Bowl orb: Houseof