How to Choose a Table Lamp: Light, Brightness and Placement

A table lamp changes a room more than you might think. It doesn't light everything: it creates a point of light, softens the dark and makes a space feel more intimate. That is exactly why it is worth choosing well. In this guide we go through the questions to ask before you buy, drawing on what we have learned designing our own lamps in Milan.

1. Ambient light or reading light?

This is the first question, and the most important one. An ambient lamp spreads a soft light around itself: it brings warmth to a room in the evening, on a bedside table, a console or the centre of a dining table. A reading or task lamp, on the other hand, focuses light on a precise spot, with a stronger and often adjustable beam.

Small, sculptural lamps under 30 cm are almost always ambient lamps. If you need light for long reading sessions or for work, pair them with a task lamp: two lamps with different roles work better than one lamp trying to do everything.

2. Colour temperature: why 2700K or 3000K

Colour temperature is measured in kelvin (K) and describes the colour of white light. The lower the number, the warmer the light, closer to a candle or an old incandescent bulb.

• 2700K: very warm, enveloping light. The classic choice for living rooms and bedrooms, especially in the evening.
• 3000K: warm but slightly crisper light. It works well in dining rooms, kitchens and spaces you also use during the day.
• 4000K and above: neutral or cool light, suited to offices and work areas. At home in the evening it can make a room feel cold.

For a table lamp at home, stay between 2700 and 3000K. Our LÀ uses an E27 LED bulb at 2700K, included and replaceable. Coup and Plissé have a 3000K light.

3. Brightness: why a dimmer makes the difference

The same lamp shouldn't give the same light at seven in the evening and at midnight. A dimmer lets you move from full light, when you need it, to a low glow, when you only want a point of light in the room. In the evening, a lower and warmer light is also more restful for the eyes.

Dimming comes in two kinds. Continuous, like the slider dimmer on the LÀ cable, which lets you choose any level. Or fixed steps, like the four levels of Coup and Plissé (100%, 60%, 40% and off), quicker to use.

4. Corded or rechargeable?

A corded lamp is always ready and never needs charging: it is the right choice for fixed spots in the home, such as the bedside table, the entrance console or the desk. Just check there is a socket nearby and that the cable doesn't cross a walkway.

A rechargeable lamp goes wherever you need it: the centre of the table at dinner, from the living room to the bedroom, a shelf with no socket nearby. Look at battery life, how it charges and whether it can be used while charging. Coup and Plissé, for example, last up to 8 hours with mixed use, charge with a USB-C cable and also work while plugged in. They are designed for indoor use.

5. Where to put it, room by room

Bedside table. Choose a warm, dimmable light that doesn't dazzle you when you are lying down. A low lamp, between 15 and 30 cm, creates a soft halo without shining into your eyes. If you read in bed for long periods, consider a dedicated reading lamp as well.

Dining table. This is where a rechargeable lamp is ideal: no cables on the table. Keep it low so it doesn't block the view between people sitting across from each other, and use it at a medium level, like a candle.

Living room and console. One or two table lamps on in the evening, with the main light off or dimmed, completely change how a space feels. Place them near a wall or a bookcase: reflected light amplifies the effect.

Desk. An ambient lamp next to the screen reduces the contrast between monitor and dark room and is easier on the eyes. For reading or drawing, though, you need a task light.

6. Proportions and form

A table lamp should be in proportion with the furniture it stands on. On a small bedside table, a compact lamp like LÀ (17 cm high, 15 cm in diameter) leaves room for books and objects. On a larger console or table you can go taller, as with Coup (28.5 cm). And remember that a table lamp is also seen when it is off: form, colour and material matter as much as the light.

In short

• First decide whether you need ambient light or light for reading and working.
• At home, choose a colour temperature between 2700 and 3000K.
• Go for a dimmable lamp: every hour calls for a different light.
• Corded for fixed spots, rechargeable for the dining table and for moving around.
• Keep it low where people sit around it, so it doesn't dazzle.
• Choose a form you like even when it is off.

Our lamps are designed and made in Milan: LÀ, corded and dimmable; Coup and Plissé, rechargeable. If you are unsure which one to choose, write to us at cs@artetica.it.