Floor lamp: choosing it room by room

Set the bottom of the lampshade at eye level when seated: about 100 to 110 cm from the floor next to a sofa, 90 to 100 cm beside the bed for reading, 70 to 75 cm on a desk. This measurement matters more than the total height of the stem, and an adjustable model makes up the difference in seconds.

Floor lamp, standard lamp or floor-standing lamp: what differences?

Three objects, one place on the floor, three heights of light. The floor lamp stays low and wide, it lights at ground level. The standard lamp rises between 150 and 180 cm and sends light above the seating. The floor-standing lamp sits against a wall or a piece of furniture, and adapts to changes in how a room is used.

Ambient or functional lighting, how to decide?

A source directed upwards or towards a wall produces ambient light: it thickens the room without lighting a page. Turned towards a seat, the same lamp becomes functional. In a living room to reorganise, this choice is made upfront, with a lighting project for a living room.

A designer standard lamp that works the ambiance is judged on this orientation before its silhouette.

How many floor lamps to plan for in a living space?

Two, placed diagonally, for a living room over 25 m2. A single overhead point, pendant or ceiling light, leaves dark zones that a second nearby source covers effortlessly.

The simplest is to start from a homogeneous family: two floor-standing lamps in the same material, one low, one high.

How to choose a floor-standing lamp for the living room?

Place it 20 or 30 cm from the end of the sofa, never in the line of sight. The bottom of the lampshade should pass below the eyes of the seated person, otherwise they see the bulb as soon as they turn. A stem of 150 to 180 cm remains the format that lights a living room without blocking the way.

Where to place it in relation to the sofa?

At the outer corner, about twenty centimetres from the arm, and set back from the circulation. The light then falls on the reader's shoulder, not in their face. Plan a base at least 30 cm in diameter: the closer the lamp is to the seat, the more it gets brushed against.

Our selection of floor-standing lamps is read by stem height and socket type, two useful markers when the sofa is low.

Arc floor lamp or tall lamp: which to choose?

The arc floor lamp lets the shade float above the coffee table and frees the floor. It requires clearance: allow at least 60 cm behind the anchor point, and a heavy base. A Scandinavian arc lamp is chosen according to the surface area, not just the look.

The arc floor lamp suits deep living rooms, the straight stem suits narrow rooms.

What style and material?

On a survey of 36 references from our Lampshade collection on 5 October 2026, linen material accounts for 50% of the survey and round shape 56%. In other words, a linen lampshade and a round silhouette remain safe choices for a living room. Smoked glass and metal add an accent, in a single dose.

Trendy table lamps change sides from one season to the next; the material stays.

Floor-standing lamp in the bedroom: what height for reading without glare?

Aim for 90 to 100 cm from the floor for the bottom of the lampshade when the lamp is next to the bed. At this height, the light comes over the shoulder of a seated reader and does not reach their eyes. Lower, the page stays in shadow. Higher, the lampshade lights the wall at the expense of the book.

At what distance from the bed should it be placed?

At 40 or 50 cm from the edge of the mattress, on the side opposite the door, to stay out of the getting-up path. A slim stem slips between the bed and the wall in a short room, provided the base is wide enough not to tip over at the first brush.

What bulb, and is a dimmer needed?

An adjustable intensity changes the use: reading at full power, night light at the end of the evening. Our selection of bedroom lampshades is read by socket and material, two criteria more reliable than the colour of the base.

If you are still unsure about the colour temperature, the guide which bulb for a bedside lamp details the common cases.

Office, hallway, dining room: where does a floor lamp make sense?

Three rooms, three answers. In the office, a floor lamp frees the work surface. In a hallway, it lights without piercing the partition. In the dining room, it serves as extra light in the evening, once the chandelier is off. Elsewhere, it clutters more than it lights.

The office: what height and direction?

The bottom of the lampshade is set at 70 or 75 cm, below eye level when seated, and the light goes towards the keyboard. An articulated stem is better than a fixed model if the screen changes place. This is the typical case for the installer who must validate a choice, and we have been supporting these configurations from the Designix professional area.

Hallway and dining room: what secondary pieces?

In a hallway, a tall lamp lights at 140 or 150 cm without piercing the partition. In the dining room, a low model placed in a corner extends the meal after the ceiling light is switched off. Transparent and smoked glass cast less shadow than an opaque lampshade, as shown in our selection of glass lamps.

A glass lampshade lets light through and fades visually: glass lampshades are browsed by colour.

What height and bulb to choose for a floor-standing lamp?

Three measurements decide everything: the total height of the stem, the height of the bottom of the lampshade, and the socket. The stem gives the scale in the room, the bottom of the lampshade decides comfort, the socket decides the bulb. Measure all three before comparing two models.

What is the 70 cm measurement for?

70 cm corresponds to a 70 cm table lamp, a format that fits on a piece of furniture or a console. A floor-standing lamp usually measures twice that. Confusing the two leads to buying a model too short for reading from a sofa.

How to measure and check stability?

Note the height of your sofa arm or mattress, then aim for a lampshade bottom just above. On a survey of 36 references from our Lampshade collection on 5 October 2026, 97% of the survey declares a 2-year warranty, a useful marker for a purchase that is kept for a long time. Before deciding, the Designix Google listing shows its up-to-date rating.

If two models still leave you hesitating, an advisor decides with you in a few minutes: talk about your project to an advisor. We are in Vaulx-en-Velin, at 12 chemin Maurice Ferréol.

Socket and colour temperature

On the same survey of 36 references, the E27 socket accounts for 89% of the survey and the IP20 rating 97%. In short: an indoor lamp is chosen in E27, the socket that opens up the widest range of bulbs, and an IP20 is enough everywhere except damp rooms. For temperature, 2700 K for warm light in a bedroom or living room, 3000 K for an office. E27 bulbs cover both.