As a designer, one of my ongoing challenges is finding the perfect lamp and I bet it’s not easy for you either.  Lots of people have sad, non-committal lamps that they bought because they would “go with everything”.  But the right lamp is such a critical accessory. So I am proposing that you consider making an investment in a lamp that you love.  Nothing crazy or outlandish, just a beautifully balanced lamp with good bones and a little bit of wow factor.  This type of lamp will be around for years to come so here’s how to find one…

Lamp Basics

Size & Shape

• To keep things proportionate, your total lamp height (including shade) should be approximately the same height as the table it is sitting on.
• Tall and thin tend to be more modern. Wider, bulbous shapes are more traditional.

Shades

• Your shade height will be about 3/4 the height of a traditional lamp base.
• Shades for modern lamps are more extreme and may be as small as 1/2 the height or as large as 2x the height of the lamp base.

Color & Pattern

• I tend to favor solid color lamps in everything from ivory to fuchsia.  Use pattern on the shade for a change.
• Base patterns are great but don’t try to match your fabric. Go for a smaller or larger pattern.  Texture is always nice too.

And the shape of your shade will change the look dramatically so you may want to consider buying them separately.  Either way, I think it’s time you bought a lamp that you love and will hold onto for years to come!

Here are some of my favorite online lamp stores:

Mottega – Design your own lamp and receive it 2 weeks.  Sleek styles and bold colors.

Layla Grace carries Jamie Young lamps. Very hip and wonderful shade options.

Candelabra has a wonderful selection of modern and earthy Arteriors Lamps.

Tags: color, investment, lamps

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 at 12:12 pm and is filed under lighting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.