Reading Floor Lamps

A reading lamp has one job and a specific geometry to do it. Light has to land on the page from behind and above your shoulder, without hitting your eyes and without your own head casting a shadow on what you're reading. Most floor lamps sold as reading lamps get this wrong.

The three specs that decide it

Shade height. The bottom of the shade should sit 40 to 42 inches from the floor — at or just below the shoulder of a seated adult. Higher, and you get the bulb in your eye line. Lower, and the light pools on the floor beside you.

Open bottom. A shade closed at the bottom is a mood light. For reading you need light escaping downward onto the page.

Adjustability. A head that pivots, or an arm that swings, is what lets you aim at the page instead of at the wall. A fixed head pointing where the designer decided is the most common reason a reading lamp gets replaced.

Placement

Behind and to the side — roughly at the shoulder of your reading hand's opposite side, slightly behind the chair. Light coming over your shoulder from behind is what avoids your own shadow.

Directly beside a chair works too, but check the shade doesn't sit in your peripheral vision at eye level.

Bulb and brightness

2700K to 3000K. Warm white. Cooler light is technically better for detail but wrong for an evening — and reading is an evening activity in a country where it's dark at four for five months.

Brightness matters more here than elsewhere: look for 800 lumens or more at the bulb, which is roughly a 60W incandescent equivalent. Reading under an underpowered lamp is the quiet cause of a lot of eye fatigue.

Dimmable is worth paying for. Full output for a book, low for the room after you close it — one lamp doing both is the difference between a reading corner and a reading corner you actually use.

Floor lamp or table lamp?

A floor reading lamp wins when there's no side table, when you want to aim the light, or when the chair moves. A table lamp wins when the surface already exists and you want the shade at a lower, softer height.

Arc lamps are the third option — base to the side, light reaching over the chair. Check the reach measurement, not just the height.

From a Canadian company that does most of its reading after dark.

Frequently asked questions

How tall should a reading lamp be?

The bottom of the shade at 40 to 42 inches from the floor — at or just below the shoulder of a seated adult.

Where should a reading lamp go?

Behind and slightly to the side of the chair, on the opposite side from your reading hand, so light comes over your shoulder without your head shadowing the page.

How bright does a reading lamp need to be?

Around 800 lumens or more — roughly a 60W incandescent equivalent. Underpowered reading lamps are a common cause of eye fatigue.

What colour temperature for reading?

2700K to 3000K. Cooler light is technically sharper for detail but wrong for evening reading, which is when most reading happens.

Does the shade need to be open at the bottom?

Yes. A closed shade gives ambience and almost no usable light on a page.