Feb 25, 2022 | Flooring America
Whether you’re moving into a new home or refreshing your current living space, lighting is typically one of the most overlooked features. While you may be focused on choosing your flooring, wall colors, and rug patterns, it’s essential to carefully consider your lighting choices because—let’s face it—lighting can make or break a room. We’ve all been in restaurants that are too dark to see what we’re eating or living rooms so bright they feel like a doctor’s office.
The proper lighting choice not only ensures that you can see properly but also sets the right mood. The easiest way to set the mood with lighting without calling an electrician is to find the right floor lamp. But how do you know what type of floor lamp to choose? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for the light to do. Generally, there are three purposes for floor lamp lighting: ambient lighting, task lighting, and uplighting.
Ambient lighting provides a warm glow to the room that’s softer than harsh, overhead lighting and gives a diffused lighting look. Adding ambient light to a room will make your floors, couches, and other furniture come together and feel more welcoming.
Club floor lamps are one of the most simple, minimalist floor lamp options that provide an ambient glow to the room. A lot of modern floor lamps come with a gold, black, silver, or brass stand, but don’t discount other options like wooden floor lamps for a more rustic look. It’s typically best to contrast your lamp against the type and color of your flooring. If you have wooden flooring, a lamp with a gold or brass stand will pop against it. Whatever aesthetic you’re going for, there is a floor lamp to match.
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Tripod floor lamps are another ambient lighting option that typically come with lampshades like club floor lamps. If you opt for a tripod floor lamp, make sure to put it in an area where there’s enough floor space for it, as it does have three legs and needs space to “manspread.”
Task lighting is essential if you have a desk or reading nook. It will light up these areas with bright, focused light—and prevent you from squinting and needing a stronger glasses prescription.
The main difference between the appearance of ambient light lamps and task light lamps is that the task lamp light is directed downward. There are a few types of task lamps that do this well: downbridge floor lamps, pharmacy floor lamps, and arc floor lamps.
Downbridge floor lamps have a curved stand that drops the lampshade lower than the height of the lamp. Pharmacy floor lamps direct light downward and typically adjust horizontally and vertically to the perfect spot.
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Arc floor lamps give a unique, contemporary look to any living space. These can serve as task lamps or add to your overhead lighting above a couch or table. Consider whether you want your lamp to serve as a statement piece or blend in. Arc lamps will make more of a statement than your standard task lamp. But if you’re accident-prone and have an irrational fear that you’ll knock over a tall, unsteady-looking lamp, maybe opt for a more traditional task lamp.
Uplighting is exactly what it sounds like. These types of lamps point the light upward toward the ceiling, ultimately making the area they illuminate more of an accent than a task or ambient lighting would.
The most common uplight option is known as a torchière lamp. Named after the French word for “torch,” it has a straight base and triangular shape that directs the light toward the ceiling—this further diffuses the light throughout the room if you have white ceilings.
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An ambient or uplight lamp is a great way to brighten up that dark, awkward, behind-the-couch corner area where there isn’t quite room for a side table or a plant. A good living room lamp is a great way to add some light to a corner that otherwise gets lost in the visual of the rest of the room.
Remember that the right lighting can change the mood of your room. Aim for warm lighting that makes you and your guests feel at home. Your lighting has the power to make your room look more open and, therefore, more welcoming. Light, neutral-colored lampshades paired with light wooden floors can open up a room instantly. Uplight lamps with darker-colored lampshades that contrast your light floors can be a great choice if your goal is to draw focus to a specific area of the room. The best way to make a small room look bigger is to have multiple light sources. A sole light source in a room casts a pool of light in the middle of your floor, while adding lamps around your room spreads the focus so that the whole room feels approachable.
If you’re looking for new ways to modernize your home from the floors up, start by consulting your local Flooring America experts. They’re happy to help with all your projects, and it’s always a great place to start one, so visit yours today.
