Nordic table lamps

Plan on one lamp per use rather than one per room: a large one with a tall shade near the sofa or desk, a compact 12 to 18 cm one on the bedside table. The Scandinavian vocabulary comes down to three things: round or cylindrical lines, matte materials such as metal, wood or woven rattan, and diffused light that is never directed towards the eyes.

What defines a Scandinavian table lamp?

A Scandinavian table lamp is recognisable by its simple lines, its round or cylindrical shapes and its matte materials: metal and steel most often, sometimes wood, woven rattan or bamboo. In this selection, all are IP20 and intended for the living room or bedroom, with an E27, G9 or E14 bulb.

The style is not a single model but a vocabulary: a white dome, a black tube and a woven ball coexist in the same room without contradicting each other. The tones follow the same logic, black, white, beige, brown, with sometimes a touch of orange or a golden detail.

Scandinavian wooden table lamp: what a wooden base brings

Wood warms up a bright room and works as well with parquet as with a raw piece of furniture. The Arbor and its wooden base combines a 12 cm white globe with a 21 cm foot, and the Norsk and its cork shade pairs wood with a black metal frame 55 cm high.

Mixing metal, rattan and bamboo in the same room

Three different materials coexist if you keep to a single family of tones and matte finishes. Black metal goes well with woven bamboo and cork: browse the metal desk lamps for this register. The other families are gathered in all our lighting.

Which Scandinavian table lamp for the living room?

For the living room, you want a table lamp that lights without dazzling: a dome or cylindrical shade and diffused light. A tall-shaded model such as the Cortessa lights a coffee table or a reading corner, while a woven ball brings a low, decorative light, placed on a console.

The most beautiful living room lamps: playing with shapes and heights

Two heights are often enough: a low 25 cm lamp on the coffee table, a taller one near the sofa. The Loreta, black and gold cylindrical, and the Notturna, black and white cylindrical, fill this role at 25 cm in diameter. The Norsk model rises to 55 cm and lights from the end of a sofa. Find the design table lamps for the living room and their modern versions for the living room.

Design ball table lamp: placing it without cluttering

A sphere 22.5 cm in diameter takes up little space since it sits on a shelf, a console or a windowsill. The Bohlia in woven bamboo diffuses an even light in all directions and needs only an E27 socket. On an entrance console, it is often enough as the only light source. See also the black finishes.

Which Scandinavian table lamp for the bedroom and bedside?

On a bedside table, a compact lamp 12 to 15 cm in diameter slips in without getting in the way: an opal globe or an 18 cm dome are examples, in white, with an E14 or G9 socket. For reading in bed, a model with a taller shade and a dimmer can be set just right.

White or black Scandinavian bedside lamp: which mood

White reflects light and lightens a dark bedroom; black stays discreet on a dark wooden table. An opal shade such as the one on the Borean diffuses an even light, with no spot on the ceiling. The orange Solvind dome on the other hand brings a colourful touch across its 18 cm diameter. Explore the bedside models for the bedroom and the black metal bedside lamps.

With a dimmer, setting the brightness at bedtime

Some models in the selection come with a dimmer, including the Bohlia, the Cortessa and the Norsk. You lower the brightness to read without waking anyone, then go down to the minimum before sleeping. A dimmable LED bulb is needed for the dimming to work, with stated wattages of 8 to 40 W depending on the model.

A narrow bedside table accepts 12 to 15 cm in diameter, no more: beyond that, the lamp eats into the space for the book and the glass of water. If your table is wide, an 18 cm format such as the Eirlys dome fits without any trouble.

Floor lamps or table lamps: which to choose?

A floor lamp lights a wide area from the floor, behind a sofa or near an armchair; a table lamp slips onto a table, a bedside table or a console and brings the light closer to the use. This collection brings together only table lamps, in IP20, for localised lighting.

What a floor lamp solves that a table lamp does not

A tall foot lights over the seats and covers a whole walkway, which no table lamp does. In return, it needs floor space and a socket nearby. For this format, it is better to look at the other families of lighting.

When a table lamp is enough in a living room

If the room already has a ceiling light or spotlights, two well-placed table lamps replace a floor lamp: one on the coffee table for ambience, one near the sofa for reading. This is the most common case in a medium-sized living room, where low light is enough to structure the space.

E27, G9 or E14 socket: which bulb for a Scandinavian lamp?

The socket determines the bulb to install: E27 is the most common screw socket on these models, G9 takes small pin bulbs in compact formats, and E14 equips the smallest bedside lamps. The choice is therefore made according to the model chosen, not according to the style.

E27: the most common socket in the selection

With an E27 socket, you fit whichever bulb you like, including a visible filament LED such as the one on the Lunlinina. The stated wattages range from 15 to 40 W, and it is also the socket of the dimmable models.

G9 and E14: the sockets of compact lamps

These two sockets equip the small lamps, from 12 to 18 cm. The G9 takes 8 W pin bulbs, the E14 a small 10 W screw socket. To go further on light sources, see the design LED table lamps and the adjustable lamps.

How to connect several lamps to a single power supply?

Several lamps can share the same supply when they are wired in parallel: each socket receives the live and neutral from the same supply, with the terminals tapped from one to the next. The combined wattage of the bulbs must remain compatible with the circuit. The work is done with the power off.

Wiring several lamps in parallel: the principle

In parallel, all the lamps receive the same voltage: the live reaches each socket and the neutral returns from each, with the conductors tapped from terminal to terminal. Each lamp then switches on independently, unlike a series wiring where the failure of one cuts off the whole set.

Wiring three lamps to one switch: what to check

The three lamps are connected to the same supply and the switch cuts the common live upstream. Add up the wattages stated on the sockets, from 8 to 40 W depending on the model, and compare with the existing circuit. If in doubt about identifying the conductors, call an electrician.

How to arrange ceiling spotlights with table lamps?

Ceiling spotlights provide general light and are distributed by zones, avoiding placing a point right above the sofa or the bed where it would dazzle. Table lamps complete the scheme with low, local light: bedside, reading corner, entrance console. The spacing between spotlights depends on the ceiling height.

Distributing spotlights according to the zones of the room

A distinction is usually made between the circulation area, the work surface and the relaxation corner: each gets its point or points, rather than a regular grid that mostly lights empty space. The higher the ceiling, the wider the spacing between points can be for the same perceived brightness.

Complementing spotlights with a low table lamp

A lit ceiling alone gives a flat, cold light in the evening. A low lamp with warm white, around 2700 to 3500 K, brings the mood back down. This is the role of the design table lamps for the living room and of the adjustable lamps when the beam needs directing.

Italian design table lamp or Scandinavian style: what are the differences?

Italian design favours sculptural shapes, glass, brass and bold colours; light becomes a decorative object. A Scandinavian table lamp, on the other hand, plays on restraint: simple lines, matte materials, black or white metal and wood. The two approaches are compared according to the mood you are after.

Italian design: glass, brass and bold colours

These pieces stand out and are often chosen on their own, like an object placed on a piece of furniture. Glass and crystal diffuse a more sparkling light, best kept for rooms where you want a focal point. The crystal models give an idea.

The Scandinavian way: black metal, white, wood and rattan

Here, the lamp steps back in favour of the light: an opaque shade brings the light down towards the table, a fabric such as linen softens it. These materials age well and go together. Compare with the linen shades and the design white colours.

Where to install and how to care for a Scandinavian table lamp?

All the lamps in this selection are IP20: they are intended for dry rooms and must not receive water splashes. They are installed in the living room, bedroom, office, entrance or hallway. Care is limited to a soft cloth on the metal, wood and shades.

IP20: why these lamps stay in dry rooms

This rating means the device is protected against solid objects larger than 12.5 mm, but not against water. A bathroom, a kitchen near the sink or a covered terrace exposed to splashes require a different protection rating. For a workstation, see instead the design table lamps for the desk.

Caring for a cork, metal or rattan shade

A dry microfibre cloth is enough on metal and wood; avoid abrasive products that scratch matte finishes. Cork and woven bamboo are dusted with a soft brush or the brush attachment of a vacuum cleaner, without wetting. Cut the power before changing a bulb.

For installation, the warranty is two years on part of the selection and five years on the rest, and some models come with a dimmer. The Cortessa and the Lunlinina cover two different uses, one for a desk corner, the other for an entrance.

Start with the size: 12 to 15 cm for a bedside table, 22 to 25 cm for a console or coffee table, 51 to 55 cm in height to light from the floor of the room. Once the space is measured, the socket and the material are decided second. Browse the black lamps for the living room or the metal models for the desk to find the right silhouette.

Secure payment, tracked delivery, returns accepted and Designix customer service: you can order the lamp that matches your table without the risk of getting the format wrong.

Frequently asked questions about Scandinavian table lamps