Reading Floor Lamps

How to light a reading chair

Shade height, reach and the globe that makes the difference.

Get the shade height right first

The check that matters is the bottom edge of the shade sitting near your eye level once you are seated, which for many people lands somewhere around 105 to 110cm off the floor. Treat that as a starting point rather than a rule, since chair height and shade depth both move it. Too high and the globe tends to glare into your eyes; too low and the light pools on your lap and leaves the page dim. The deciding test is simply whether you can see the page clearly without seeing the globe.

Sit in the chair before you decide. Ceiling height and sofa height vary more between homes than lamp heights do, and a lamp that is right in one room can be wrong two metres away.

Reach, and where the base sits

Two shapes solve this differently. A downbridge or gooseneck arm sets the shade out from the pole by a short distance, so the base can sit beside the chair. The Marceau takes the direct route: the arm leaves the pole dead straight, turns once at 90 degrees, and sets a beige linen drum about 20cm out, with the whole lamp needing roughly 49.3cm of floor. The Aurelia does it more softly at 156cm, its brass gooseneck tilting a pleated shade forward over the chair.

An arc reaches much further, which suits a sofa where the base cannot go beside the seat. The Orsay extends about 46cm and takes around 71.5cm of floor all up. The Cosmo reaches about 70cm and wants closer to 102.7cm. The Flore hangs a wide 40cm linen drum from the tip of its curve, which spreads a softer pool than a narrow shade would.

The globe does half the work

Shape gets the light to the page; the globe decides what it feels like. For sustained reading, warm white around 2700K at roughly 800 lumens is a reasonable starting point when choosing a globe. Bear in mind that figure is the globe's output, not what lands on the page: shade density, colour and distance all cut it. If the lamp mostly keeps you company while the television is on, half that output is kinder.

Delivery to Australia: freight is calculated from your postcode at checkout, and it varies with the weight of the lamp. Each product page has a postcode check so you can see the cost before you commit.