Table Lamps for Every Room

Few household items can be found in every room of the house, but table lamps not only provide the function of light, but they add considerable decorative style to the home as well. Yet, there is a vast array of table lamps to consider. From vintage Art Nouveau to contemporary elegance, you can enliven any room with table lamps designed to meet both your lighting and aesthetic needs.

There are thousands of table lamp styles available today. The décor style of specific rooms will influence your particular choices. Knowing that table lamps are useful all over the house, they are certainly most at home on coffee tables, nightstands, desks, counters, dressers—anywhere you need light. When choosing a table lamp you will necessarily want to give consideration to its materials—what makes up the shade and the base. However, you may desire your table lamp to operate a certain way—to turn on with pulls, by touch, by pressing a button, by turning a click.

Although table lamp styles run the gamut, vintage lamps and their modern replicas are among the most popular choices in lamp style today. In fact, one can hardly discuss vintage lamps without reference to Louis Comfort Tiffany. Lamps designed by Tiffany—especially during the Art Nouveau era and illustrious Gilded Age—are among the most sought after by collectors and lamp aficionados. Today, nearly any stained glass lamp is referred to as Tiffany, though to be accurate, many are simply Tiffany style lamps—not actually manufactured by the legendary designer.

Tiffany worked with stained glass certainly, but some of his loveliest table lamps boast simple colored glass wrought into natural shapes like mushrooms or lily blooms. His stylized glass shades were frequently complimented by an intricately carved bronze base that played into the design of the piece. Tiffany style lamps and replicas are widely available today. Some are quite unique featuring multiple glass flower shades coupled with small carved figurines like fairies or elves.

Of course, Tiffany styles offer all the romance of that long ago era, but few table lamps are as romantic as Victorian lamps topped by silky fringed shades. Victorian design is still in style today. The Victorians loved elaborate interiors combining brocaded fabric and heavy velvets in rich colors like red, purple or mauve. Today’s Victorian-style table lamps also feature skeins of beads and satin chording. From tassels to tulle, Victorian table lamps inspire all the beauty and romance of their era with their great elaborate shades shaped like parasols, canopies, even hats.

Other vintage styles can be found as well. Consider the lovely crystal bases and simple elegant shades of the Art Deco era for a nightstand. A young girl’s room might feature a dresser lamp designed with a figural porcelain doll for its base. The antique charm inherent in older styles—even those of the fifties and sixties can add considerable style to kitchens, bedrooms and more.

On the other hand, contemporary homes frequently require more modern styles for their décor. Contemporary table lamps might feature classic designs, but often they make use of abstract or geometric shapes. For homeowners who prefer more functional (and less-over-the-top) designs, consider the classic styles of modern table lamps that boast simple block or pedestal bases topped by cylinder-shaped shades or with singly-colored acrylic shades. A great style for a desk is a lamp with a square bronze base, a smooth pedestal and a green rectangular glass shade with two pulls (one for either side of the lamp).

Other contemporary choices might involve table lamps that actually flex and bend where you need them. Essential choices for crafting tables, these modern lamps adapt themselves to any task at hand. They allow light to be directed where it is most needed. Contemporary table lamps often will enhance a room without competing with the rest of the décor for attention. Less obtrusive than many vintage styles, modern choices seem intent upon sleek function and make less use of needless embellishments.

Some homes might want to add a more diverse international look to their home. Table lamps inspired by other countries add great visual appeal to any room. Such lamps might feature a base of monkeys in palm trees, giraffes in tall grass, leopard-print glass, Moroccan iron-work, rare wood inlaid with minerals and precious stone, etc…Internationally-styled shades might boast paper in Oriental designs (like lanterns), Colonial Spanish tiles, snakeskin, etc…A simply designed shade might boast a wood base and a shade covered with lacquered world maps.

Or, consider more down-home country styles. Simple wooden bases might feature plain shades with farm designs. From North woods animals to the shabby-chic style, country-style lamps are often chosen for the warmth of country hospitality and the charm they bring to any room.

Of course, there are hundreds of lamps that might best be described as novelties. Some might be inspired by holidays—turkey table lamps, gingerbread house lamps, rabbit lamps—can all be found today. Other novelty lamps might feature lighthouses, animals—even replicas of food.

Whatever style you want, you are sure to find it in today’s lamp market. You can also mix and match styles while you mix and match lamp components. Your green glass base might discover a new look by dropping its plain beige shade and sporting a new one with a colorful mod motif. Table lamps are often at the core of our rooms. Beside them we read, we talk, we laugh, we see the faces of family and friends. Whatever style you choose, be sure it’s one you will want to turn on again and again.