Table Lamps in Surrey: Choosing Lamps for Living Rooms and Bedrooms

A table lamp does more to set the mood of a room than almost any other light. Height, shade and position decide whether it glows or glares.

Jordana Table Lamp Green Ceramic and Polished Chrome With Shade — select the photo to view this product on Illuminations Direct.

Why table lamps matter more than the ceiling light

Most living rooms are lit from the ceiling and feel flat for it. A pair of table lamps, placed at different points in the room, brings light down to the level where people actually sit and talk, and softens the corners a single ceiling fitting leaves in shadow. In the evening, many rooms look their best with the ceiling light off altogether.

That is also why the more unusual and decorative lamps earn their place. A ceramic base with real glaze depth, a sculptural brass stem or a coloured glass lamp reads as a piece of furniture in daylight and as a source of warmth after dark. Chosen well, one statement lamp can carry a sideboard or console on its own.

Getting the height right

Beside a sofa or armchair, aim for the bottom of the shade to sit at roughly eye level when you are seated, so you see the glow rather than the bulb. On a bedside table, the lamp should light the page of a book without shining into your eyes when you sit up in bed; as a rule of thumb, a bedside table close to mattress height with a lamp of around 50 to 65cm works for most beds.

Large table lamps suit consoles, sideboards and deep window sills, where a small lamp would look lost. Judge them against the furniture rather than the room: the lamp should look deliberate, not balanced on the edge.

Base, shade and the light it gives

The shade shapes the light as much as the lamp does. A pale linen drum spreads a soft, even glow; a dark or gold-lined shade throws light down onto the table and keeps the room around it low. Our drum lamp shade guide covers proportion and materials in more detail, and the bulb matters too: a warm white bulb of around 2700K is what most people picture when they think of a lamp-lit room.

See it lit before you choose

A lamp photographed on a white background tells you almost nothing about the light it gives. Glaze, glass and brass all change once the bulb is on, and the same shade can look warm on one base and cool on another.

Selected table lamps are displayed in our Camberley showroom, and you can see how each one looks switched on before you decide. Please contact us to check a particular design before travelling; the online range is not all on display, and not every fitting is lit at all times.

There is a practical reason to buy table lamps from someone who can show you the product, too. In evidence to Parliament, the charity Electrical Safety First reported that nearly a quarter of consumers had bought a counterfeit electrical product online, often without realising. Every fitting we sell comes from an established supplier, and we can tell you exactly what you are buying. Read the Electrical Safety First evidence.

Common questions

What height should a table lamp be in a living room? Beside a sofa or armchair, the bottom of the shade should sit at roughly eye level when you are seated, so you see the glow rather than the bulb.

What size bedside lamp do I need? As a rule of thumb, a lamp of around 50 to 65cm on a bedside table close to mattress height lights a book without shining into your eyes when sitting up in bed.

Where can I see table lamps in Surrey? Selected table lamps are displayed at our independent showroom on Camberley High Street, serving homes across Surrey and Hampshire. Contact us to check a particular design before travelling.

Advice from our Camberley showroom

By the Illuminations of Camberley team, independent lighting specialists established in 1971. We help customers compare fittings, finishes and scale at our High Street showroom. Meet Illuminations.

See lighting in our customers’ real homes, or contact us with your room photographs and measurements. Check availability before travelling to see a particular fitting.

Illuminations of Camberley · 66-68 High Street, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3RS · Open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5:30pm. Buy the light, not the photograph.