Few types of lighting offer the variety and versatility of floor lamps. Fit them
in any corner of the room to create eye catching appeal. Place them beside a sofa
or chair to provide task lighting or to simply accent the decor. Add glamour in a
hallway entrance or overall illumination in the family room. Unlike track, recessed,
and pendant lights, floor lamps are portable. They are convenient, and easy to
position anywhere. You simply move them where needed and plug them in. There are
hundreds of styles of floor lamps from which to choose and a price range to suit
any budget. Styles run from traditional to contemporary, from plain to elegant,
from muted tones to colorful, from brass to chrome. In short, floor lamps offer a
simple yet elegant means to fill in lighting gaps sometimes left by even the most
flexible track lighting
or cable lighting system.
Basic floor lamp design
All of the different styles of floor lamps are essentially based on one of three
different designs. Each design enhances different lighting functions.
Single light design
This is the traditional floor lamp with a single light at the top of the pole. It
may have a cloth shade or a Tiffany glass shade to direct the main light down. It
may be the torchiere design which is an inverted glass bowl or cone shaped shade to
direct the light up. Depending upon the type of shade, this lamp design can provide
either task or accent lighting.
Multi light design – along the pole
This design features multiple lights, typically two or three, attached along the
lamp neck. These lights can be individually adjusted for light beam direction.
This makes a single multifunctional floor lamp. Placed between two chairs, it can
provide reading light for each one and wall accent illumination at the same time.
This floor lamp is great for an area of limited size but larger light demand, like
a dorm room.
Multi light design – at the top of the pole
This design features multiple lights, perhaps as many as five or six, extending
upward and fanning out from the top of the lamp neck. Typically the lights have
either inverted shades or small globes covering them. This makes excellent accent
lighting. The type of illumination it provides and the very style of the fixture
can really add a “wow” factor to any décor. The task lighting is not as effective
as the other designs. The accent light is terrific, however, and it provides
somewhat better general lighting in the immediate area.
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