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Let’s Get Physical: 7 Floor Lights Perfect for Perusing Real Books

Floor lamps bridge that gap between a table lamp and a pendant. They work especially well in a lounge environment, highlighting one particular room setting: perhaps a reading nook, a chair or sofa. Ideally, a floor lamp needs an adjustable shade and/or arm, so preventing unwanted glare. Moreover, a floor lamp should complement a space, working in harmony with its surroundings. Think of the floor lamp as an aesthetic, smart and useful tool; consider its placement and purpose; choose wisely and buy ‘for keeps’.

The following floor lamps are particularly perfect for reading. So ditch the Kindle and grab a real book.

Flos ‘Tab’ floor lamp

The London-based industrial design studio Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby designed the Tab floor lamp in 2011 for iconic lighting brand Flos. Elegant, smart and minimal, the Tab lamp is an eye-catching luminaire. Its moveable shade is made using a folded piece of aluminium, rotatable at ±45°.

RELATED: 20 Nordic Lights to Ward Off Winter’s Chill

Tab floor lamp.
Tab floor lamp.

Photos via © Clippings.com.

Northern Lighting ‘Birdy’ floor lamp

Birdy, a quirky, modernist floor lamp (also available in table and wall versions), was designed in 1952 by Norwegian interiors architect Birger Dahl (1916–1998). Known especially for his lighting creations, Dahl’s approach to design was systematic and streamlined, embracing quality, simplicity and purity of form. In particular, Dahl chose to call attention to the shape of an object, eschewing decorative details. Originally named the s-30016 (and produced and sold by the Norwegian electricity company Sønnico), Birdy received a Gold Medal award at the 1954 Triennale di Milano. Today, Birdy is produced by Oslo-based Northern Lighting and available in four finishes: off-white or matt grey with a satin nickel finish; matt black or Marsala with a brass metal finish.

Birdy floor lamp in grey and metallic. Photo by Chris Tonnesen.
Birdy floor lamp in black and brass (pictured with the Birdy table lamp). Photo by Colin Eick .

Photos courtesy of Northern Lighting.

Northern Lighting ‘Me’ floor lamp

The ‘Me’ floor lamp was designed by Norwegian design studio Morten & Jonas for Northern Lighting. With its soft and quiet profile, Me encourages a state of mental repose and calm. Me is designed with a silicon sleeve, making the light source adjustable.

Me in petrol blue (Pantone 2167), white (Pantone White) and grey (Pantone Cool Grey 11).
Me in black (Pantone Black C). Photo by Calle Huth.

Photos courtesy of Northern Lighting.

Vipp525 floor lamp

At Danish brand Vipp, Chief Designer Morten Bo Jensen has previously asserted: ‘once you have captured the essence of a product and done your utmost in its conception, what else is there to achieve?’ Accordingly, the Vipp525 floor lamp is the company’s one and only such model. Crafted from powder-coated aluminium and steel, the floor lamp includes an adjustable arm and shade for focused lighting. The perforated shade provides a directional light source while at the same time diffusing a soft light.

Vipp525 floor lamp.
Vipp525 floor lamp.

Photos © Vipp.

Anglepoise® Original 1227™ floor lamp

Anglepoise®, the celebrated and iconic British lighting brand, launched its Original 1227™ light in 1935. Designed by engineer George Carwardine (1887 – 1947), the Original 1227™ is considered the archetypal Anglepoise® light. With its classic profile, anthropomorphic arrangement and poise, the Original 1227™ is also available in an adjustable floor version.

RELATED: 10 Desk Lights to Uplift a Workspace

Original-1227™-floor-lamp-white
Original 1227™ floor lamp in linen white.
Original-1227™-floor-lamp-chome
Original 1227™ floor lamp in bright chrome.

Photos © Anglepoise.

Anglepoise® Type 75™ floor lamp

Kenneth Grange, the acclaimed British industrial product designer, created the distinctive Type 75™ lamp for Anglepoise® in 2004. The Type 75™ was a revision to the Model 75, a prototype designed by George Carawardine more than 70 years previously. Available in a floor lamp version, the Type 75™ is a fresh modernist classic.

Type-75™-floor-lamp-in-black
Type 75™ floor lamp in jet black.
Type-75™-floor-lamp-brushed-aluminium
Type 75™ floor lamp in brushed aluminium.

Photos © Anglepoise.

Menu ‘Peek’ floor lamp

The Peek floor lamp was designed by Swedish architect and designer Jonas Wagell for Danish brand Menu. With a marriage of simplicity, aesthetics and functionality, Peek reimagines modernism in an elegant and less rigid form. Finding floor lamps often overly big and dominant, Jonas Wagell designed ‘Peek’ as a lamp that literally ‘peeks’ over a sofa or chair.

Peek floor lamp.
Peek floor lamp.

Photos courtesy of Menu.

Gerard McGuickin

Gerard is a writer, a thinker and a modern-day gentleman living in a modish neighbourhood in south Belfast. Walnut Grey Design is his popular manifesto of good design. From Gerard’s discerning perspective, design should be aesthetic, smart, honest and gratifying. Moreover, it must be for keeps. A self-confessed urbanite, Gerard is enthralled b[...]

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