Floor Lamps

Most floor lamps stand 58-64 inches tall. For reading, the bottom of the shade should sit at or just below eye level when you are seated - roughly 38-42 inches from the floor - so the bulb never glares.

Set it just behind the shoulder line of a chair or sofa arm for reading, or in a dark corner to balance the room's light. Arc floor lamps reach over seating from behind, giving overhead light without ceiling wiring.

A torchiere points its bowl-shaped shade upward, bouncing light off the ceiling for soft, glare-free ambient lighting - a good choice for small rooms and low ceilings.

Run the cord along the wall line and fix it with adhesive cord clips or a paintable cable channel, or route it under a rug pad crossing low-traffic areas. Never pinch a cord under furniture legs.

Match the job first: downward task light for reading, torchiere for ambient glow, arc for over-sofa lighting. Then scale it to the space - taller and wider shades for large rooms - and pick a finish repeated elsewhere in the room.

One torchiere with a 1500+ lumen bulb can carry a small room. For larger spaces, layer two or three sources - a floor lamp plus table lamps - instead of relying on a single fixture.