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How to Select the Best Floor Lamp: 12 Top Choices to Explore

Floor Lamp
Every home should have natural and artificial light, with three layers: ambient, task, and accent lighting. And the best floor lamps can offer one or more of these layers in addition to attractive colors, textures, and silhouettes to enhance your decor.

Most designers recommend at least seven (and up to 13) light sources in every room. And lamps are an essential part of meeting this number! Floor lamps, table lamps, and desk lamps all play a role in creating a well-lit space that’s functional, beautiful, and inviting.

This guide features the 12 best floor lamps of 2024, complete with recommendations from expert designers, to help you perfect your home. We’ve also highlighted tips about what to consider when buying a floor lamp so that you can make a purchase you’ll love for years to come. Ready to find your new favorite light?

Our Top Picks: The Best Floor Lamps for 2024

Honorable Mention: Ramona Floor Lamp

Ramona Floor Lamp
Ramona Floor Lamp
Brand: Interior Define

Price: $1380

The Ramona Floor Lamp features a textured white 100% cotton shade, a sleek black aluminum base. It’s compatible with smart outlets, making it perfect for smart homes, and it offers a soft glow that’s perfect for any living room, office, or bedroom.

With 21,7 lbs., this standing lamp is easy to move and simple to assemble. It would work well with any interior decor, from contemporary, minimalist, and transitional to rustic and loft styles.

Shop now at interiordefine.com

Best Decorative: Rico Floor Lamp

Rico Floor Lamp
Rico Floor Lamp

Brand: Anthropologie

Price: $798

This Rico Floor Lamp comes with linen shades, an 8-foot fabric cord, and light socket that can work with any E26 bulbs, including LED bulbs (40 wattage max).

“I love using floor lamps for decorative purposes, so have some fun with them!” said Leigh Spicher. “Skip the boring, typical lights and infuse some personality into a space with a fun floor lamp. Think of them as statement earrings for a black dress — you can change them anytime, and the whole outfit/room will change.”

“Skip the boring, typical lights and infuse some personality into a space with a fun floor lamp."

Shop now at anothropologie.com

Laurel Glass Cylinder Floor Lamp


Laurel Glass Cylinder Floor Lamp
Laurel Glass Cylinder Floor Lamp, Satin Brass

Brand: Lights.com

Price: $249

The Laurel Glass Cylinder Floor Lamp boasts a timeless glass cylinder body with mid-century modern appeal. The white fabric shade creates an inviting, warm glow, and the socket features a retro metal pull chain perfect for a fun den or living room. And at just $249, it’s affordable enough for almost any home.

“I highly recommend the Laurel Glass Cylinder Floor Lamp”, said Sheva Knopfler. “Floor lamps are making a huge comeback, and we optimized our design by hiding the plug-in wire discreetly in the base, so it looks neater and more luxurious.”

Shop now at lights.com

Best dual arm Lamp: Annika Floor Lamp

Annika Floor Lamp

Brand: Lulu and Georgia

Price: $898

The Annika Floor Lamp is a refined dual arm lamp. Weighing in at 27 lbs., the black marble base will keep this floor lamp firmly in place.

Annika comes with antique brass tubing and steel shade efficiently directs bright light. And with a standard E26 socket and a maximum of 200 watts, this modern floor lamp can provide bright light for reading and tasks or create an ambient glow in any room.

Shop now at luluandgeorgia.com

Best (Affordable) Arc Lamp: Joan Anchored Floor Lamp

Joan Smart Enabled Arched Floor Lamp

Brand: AllModern

Price: $160

The Joan Anchored Floor Lamp comes with a brass, marble, or white base finish with a gray, taupe, or off-white shade. It’s crafted from steel with a slender arched design and dramatic curves without demanding much floor space. And with a weight of just under 20 lbs., this light floor lamp is easy to move — but don’t worry about tipping, as the anchored circular base offers contrast and stability.

Joan is perfect for a smart home and can connect to smart devices such as Amazon’s Alexa for convenient remote control. It has a maximum wattage of 100, offers bright light, and accepts standard E26 bulbs.

Shop now at allmodern.com

Best Modern: Verge Floor Lamp

Verge Floor Lamp

Brand: Blu Dot

Price: $425

The Verge Floor Lamp comes in your choice of black, green, gray, and white powder-coated finishes covering the metal base, stalk, and shade. With a cute and compact design, animated silhouette, adjustable lamp head, and touch switch, this LED floor lamp would be perfect beside a side table, reading chair, bed, or desk.

Verge features an acrylic diffuser and a dimmable glow with a touch-dimming switch on the lamp’s head. In addition, it has a 12-watt integrated LED light source, 1200 lumen output, and a warm 2700k color temperature, and it doesn’t require a light bulb.

Shop now at bludot.com

Best Torchiere Lamp: Rida Floor Lamp

Rida LED Floor Lamp

Brand: AllModern

Price: $246 (Currently $203 - on sale)

The Rida Floor Lamp boasts a sleek, modern design with a brushed steel finish and frosted glass shade. In addition, it boasts an elegant touch switch on the pole that allows you to adjust the color and intensity of the LED light. It would work well in the living room or bedroom, filling the space with 2200 lumens of refreshing ambient lighting.

Rida is a torchiere floor lamp — an excellent alternative to harsh overhead lighting — with solar LED technology that supports wellness by syncing the color temperature with your circadian rhythm. This feature helps simulate the sun’s natural progression through the day, helping you keep a healthy internal clock.

Shop now at allmodern.com

Best Ambient Lamp: The Y-Lamp

Floyd Y-Lamp

Brand: Floyd

Price: $345

The Y-Lamp comes with your choice of a red-orange, gray, or white finish on the powder-coated steel pole. In addition, it boasts a Washi paper shade made at one of the world’s oldest paper factories from mulberry trees in Tokushima, Japan. Washi paper does less harm to the environment than wood-based paper, making this an excellent lamp for eco-conscious households.

Every detail of The Y-Lamp is designed for functionality and beauty, creating a sculptural silhouette that adds an air of elegance to any room. And the design provides direct and ambient light, using an energy-efficient LED bulb with a warm 2700k color temperature. Jamie Wolfond designed The Y-Lamp, making it the first beginning-to-end collaboration design from the Floyd brand.

Shop now at floydhome.com

Best Edison-Style: Debby Floor Lamp

Debby Floor Lamp

Brand: Apt2B

Price: $194

The Debby Floor Lamp comes with your choice of a black or polished gold finish, with a unique design inspired by mid-century modern decor. It’s stylish and fun, with an exposed bulb instead of a shade and a thin supporting pole for a minimalist aesthetic.

Debby takes a standard E27 bulb and comes with a hassle-free 100-day return policy (standard for all Apt2B orders). Try using it to add a splash of lighting to your living room, bedroom, or office.

Shop now at apt2b.com

Best tripod Lamp: Mulberry Floor Lamp

Mulberry Floor Lamp
Mulberry Floor Lamp

Brand: Schoolhouse

Price: $1,699

If you're a fan of mid-century design, the Mulberry Floor Lamp might be right up your alley. It features tripod legs with hand-turned solid walnut and cast brass details, giving it a sophisticated look. The lamp is topped with a linen fabric shade with a perforated diffuser on top and a frosted diffuser on the bottom, which helps filter the light gently.

It is assembled in Portland, Oregon, using ethically sourced components from both domestic and global suppliers. This is a Schoolhouse Original piece, so you know it's designed with care and attention to detail.

The lamp comes in three different colors and has three sockets, each supporting a 60w bulb, with a total voltage of 120v. If you're concerned about commitment, a 30-day return policy is in place if you need to send it back after delivery.

Shop now at schoolhouse.com

What to Consider When Buying a Floor Lamp

Lamp Style and Function

With so many options — globe lamps, shaded lamps, tripod lamps, adjustable lamps — choosing the right style can be overwhelming. It’s essential to select your light for functionality, but you’ll also want to ensure it goes well with your decor.

For example, you’ll usually want to stick with one accent finish like matte black, aged brass, or polished nickel, as it can be challenging to mix metals. Then consider what style fits with your home, and look for a lamp that fits that style.

“The right floor lamp style will also depend on its function."

“The right floor lamp style will also depend on its function,” explained Erica and Laurie Davis. “If you’re looking for task lighting, for example, a movable arm is essential so that you can adjust for your needs. Otherwise, a pedestal style will typically suffice.”

You might also want a dimmer switch if you’re using the lamp for ambient lighting in the bedroom and lighting room. Or, if you have a smart home, you’ll likely want a smart lamp for compatibility and convenience.

Switch Location

You’ll want to consider the switch location and find one convenient for your household and where you plan to use the lamp. For example, a foot switch might be ideal if you plan to place it in a hard-to-reach spot. Or if you’ll be sitting beside the lamp, a simple touch switch can offer a tactile experience and easy access.

How You Want to Light the Room

It’s important to consider the color of light you want in each room and each layer of lighting. Light color is typically referred to as light temperature and measured in Kelvins, with typical ranges for residential lighting falling between 1500K (warm) to 6500K (cool). The image above represents what you can expect from each light temperature rating.

“Try not to mix temperatures,” recommends Leigh Spicher. “You don’t want general lighting to be warm/yellow light and your floor lamp to be cool/blue light.”

You’ll also want to consider the lampshade, which will diffuse the light in different directions. For example, if your shade is large and slightly translucent, it will create an ambient look. And if it’s small and dark, it will spread out less and function better as a task or reading lamp.

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Written by
Shelby Golding
Shelby Golding is a Colorado-based writer/editor with over a decade of experience. She has a college education in interior design and enjoys woodworking in her free time.
Shelby Golding
Written by
Shelby Golding
Shelby Golding is a Colorado-based writer/editor with over a decade of experience. She has a college education in interior design and enjoys woodworking in her free time.
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