Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (0)

A Short Look At Floor Lamps
October 12, 2007

Apartment Therapy is a blog I check out once in awhile.  I was fascinated by the floor lamp that Target introduced and where the comments led me.  

The super-modern design is composed of a silk shade stretched across a metal armature. The result is a glowing, minimalist form. Has an on/off floor switch and requires four 60-watt bulbs. And, the 59"-high lamp is yours for $280.

My initial impression was how nice to be offered a choice other than the ubiquitous Torchiere.

A torchiere is a lamp with a tall stand of wood or metal. Originally, torchieres were candelabra, usually with two or three lights. When it was first introduced in France towards the end of the 17th century the torchiere mounted one candle only, and when the number was doubled or tripled the improvement was regarded almost as a revolution in the lighting of large rooms. 

The general theme of comments about the lamp indicated that $280 is a lot of money for a lamp.  

There was an alternative that looks similar, but hangs from the ceiling, a Falkland Lamp.

Designed by the multi-talented Italian designer Bruno Munari in 1964 for Danese Milano, Italy. The Falkland lamp has become one of the classic icons of 20th Century Design and can be found in museum collections worldwide. $299.00.  

I googled images of floor lamps and images flooded over me.  Somehow, I even found that Ikea has a floor lamp similar to Targets.

61 inches tall, the shade is of handmade paper; each shade is unique. $39.99.

I didn’t know that the Torchiere was banned in some dormitories because of the fire danger.  It seems that halogen lights in the lamps put out a lot of heat and can light drapes or ceilings on fire.

Sure I like a good-looking lamp, but too many lamps are for mood lighting and not designed for reading.  Every home needs a quiet nook where a 100-watt lamp can focus light on the latest book that just arrived in the mail. Be sure to ask yourself or your client before buying, "Is this a reading lamp or a mood lamp?"

Thoughts?  Email them to landfair3554@comcast.net. 

Posted by Mike Landfair on October 12, 2007 | Comments (0)