How to choose a lamp that’s perfect for you
Lamps are great features to have in a home, offering so much for such a small fixture. There are their obvious functional benefits of providing an easily moveable source of light as well as their stylistic offerings being decorative, even ornamental in nature. There is a huge number of lamps on the market in Australia which can make choosing one a little challenging. However, there are a few tips that can steer you in the right direction to help you make a choice that's both suitable and stylish.
Think about style
There are many aesthetic styles out there and knowing which ones you like will help you narrow down a shortlist of options, quicker and easier.
Without going too in-depth, here are four of the most popular styles of lamps to be aware of.
Modern design - A form of minimalism characterised by clear and defined lines, bright colours, and negative space. LED bulbs are prevalent in contemporary lighting of this style today.
Mid-Century modern - A design aesthetic experiencing a big comeback. It's an American-popularised style that hallmarks curved lines, natural materials, graphic shapes and muted colours. Mid-century modern lighting products generally have well-defined lamp bases with simple light shades.
Farmhouse design - Popularised by the American television host Joanna Gaines. It consists of practical and simplistic design choices that are modern in their simplicity but have rustic details. Think of exposed metal and prominent bulbs on buffet lamps.
Traditional design - An aesthetic refers to early 20th century or historical trends. It can involve anything from intricately detailed work (sometimes called baroque style) to chandeliers with lampshades.
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Focus on a type of lamp that fulfils your needs
Now, more than ever, there's a tremendous amount of choice when it comes to picking a lamp for the rooms in your home. Not only are there different styles from an aesthetic point of view but there are different types as well, made for specific purposes.
Desk lamps, for instance, are a type of table lamp that provides a focussed form of tasking lighting to brighten up your workspace in the home office. A torchiere light on the other hand is a tall and elegant floor lamp, used to provide a more ambient source of light in a stylish and sophisticated way.
Outdoor lamps are another category entirely, as they're made from materials that can stand up to the elements. Knowing what functionality you need from a lamp will help you narrow that shortlist down, allowing you to focus on options that serve that need at the very least.
Related article: 11 different types of lamps to spruce up your home
Consider all lights in the space
If you've never furnished or built a home before, here's a good rule of thumb: every room should have an overhead light source and one to two other lamps for ambience. For example, it's common to have built-in can lights in your kitchen for cooking and task lighting lamps for counter spaces for things like chopping vegetables or reading recipes.
Bedrooms should have central ceiling lights, then a bedside lamp on each nightstand for reading or ambience. You may want a tall standing lamp for your reading corner as your bedroom lamp, depending on the size of your bedroom.
The key point is to think about how the existing light setup works and what you want a lamp to contribute to that setup. It might be to add to the ambient light already in the room or it might be to add task lighting that is non-existent. It might even be purely ornamental but whatever the reason is, knowing it in advance will help you choose accordingly.
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How much light do you need?
Other than the rule of thumb above, there's no hard and fast guide to how much light a room needs. It depends on a range of factors like when you use the space, how much natural light it gets, which direction the windows face, what activities take place and more.
A breakfast nook, for example, is usually built near a window and gets good morning light, meaning you can get away with a decorative lamp by the table instead of needing a bright light for late at night.
You'll also want to think about what colour light (bulb) you want to get. LED lightbulbs come in various colours and temperatures, typically natural, soft, outdoor, and bright.
Natural bulbs have a neutral tone and are great for workspaces or home offices. Soft bulbs have a warm tone, good for ambience and bedside lights. Bright white or cool-toned bulbs are suitable for high-use areas, like the kitchen, and give off high-contrast blue-toned light.
Smart LED bulbs have different settings that give off a brighter or softer light, depending on your needs. This provides great versatility and flexibility as a lighting design solution.
Related article: LED Lights — The Definitive Guide
Prices of different lamps
Lamps are available in a wide range of types and styles with an equally wide range of price points. The more decorative the light is, the more high-quality materials that are used, the more renowned the designer, the more likely it is to cost. That being the case you can find lamps anywhere from $15 to upwards of a few thousand dollars.
Related article: How much does a lamp cost? A breakdown
How to choose a lamp with ease
When choosing a lamp for your home, you need to consider your interior design style, where the light is going, how much light the room needs, what type of light source you want, the colour of the bulb and the overall cost. It seems like a lot to consider at first, but after purchasing your first lamp and seeing what it brings to the room you’ll feel more confident to press on and get more.
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