Tall, light and handsome — which floor lamp is for me?

I have been trying to find floor lamps that are stylish yet useful and compatible with normal ceiling height. Any ideas?

I do like a floor lamp. Give me a patch of space and I’ll guarantee that within five minutes I’ll have plonked a floor lamp in it, along with, perhaps, a wedge-thin side table with a top only big enough for a drink, a tiny vase and a single ceramic spear of asparagus.

Space no bigger than a postage stamp? No problem. This is the beauty of a floor lamp — they don’t take up room. Table lamps need, well, tables, and wall lights need . . . You’ve guessed it. Floor lamps work beautifully in small or odd spaces, such as between armchairs in the middle of a room, or in poky corners.

Of course, floor lamps are not only useful when space is limited or tricky. Many versions can be pulled up, pushed down and swivelled around to provide targeted lighting to a particular area when needed.

When you say “stylish”, it depends on the look you’re after, and the job you need your floor lamp to do. Perhaps you want something simple. Floor lamps sometimes need to disappear. When thinking like this, they are utilitarian lights that must exist to provide good service, not to get in the way.

In our flat, we decided recently that we needed a bit of extra light between a pair of small armchairs in our sitting room. The armchairs are covered in a fairly decorative and ornate woven silk; the lamp wanted to be a simple affair.

We chose a model from Vaughan, our go-to for very good quality and well-priced lighting both traditional and contemporary in feeling. The Buckton is simple and elegant with a circular, ribbed base. It fits neatly between our chairs, offers up a flash of brass and its height can be altered easily. My plan is to draw a face on a lampshade — coral-coloured card, perhaps — and stick it on top.

We chose a lamp with a lampshade because we wanted the extra ambient light and the decorative effect of a shade, but if you’re after something even simpler, more of a reading lamp (as in, super streamlined and with an internal shade), look to Paolo Moschino for Nicholas Haslam. I’ve always liked this company’s lighting offering, and many of its models are now available cordless.

To be honest, I really don’t mind a flash of flex. If you can, place a lamp close to the edge of a rug, and hide as much flex as possible underneath. Remember also that attractive cord flex is important — I always prefer brown.

Cordless lamps, however, well — what a game-changer. No need to worry about where your closest socket is. I like Paolo Moschino’s Ischia lamp very much, with its thin and smart rounded hood of a shade.

Now, sometimes a floor lamp needs to be more than just a half-hidden service provider. Hell, sometimes a floor lamp needs to be the star of the show. Look also to the rest of Paolo Moschino’s range for some fabulous, showier examples. I adore its cast-plaster Orfeo uplighter, in the manner of Serge Roche. Roche, a French designer born in 1898, was known for his mirrored furniture and Baroque and Rococo-inspired pieces, particularly those he covered in white stucco.

To me, Roche’s designs speak of pure 1930s glamour and elegance. Contemporary designers often reference Roche’s works, but it is possible to find original pieces. Paris’s Galerie Chastel-Marechal is currently selling a delightful and rare floor lamp from 1935, from Roche’s own private collection. It is worth checking auctions, too. In 2006 Christie’s sold a Roche plaster floor lamp in the shape of a palm tree (a famous design), with the addition of a plaster monkey clambering up it.

What else? I’m a fan of Original BTC’s Task Floor Light, classic in style and made from aluminium. It is available, alongside more regular options, with a colourful base and matching integrated shade. I like the sludgy olive green and bright red versions. Very pleasing.

London’s Mr Light offers up more in the way of uncomplicated options, and in fact its 94582 model (no romantic names here) is one of my favourites here: supremely stylish, I love its proportions, matt white finish and spot head. It costs just over £250+VAT, and would work well in all kinds of interiors. For some reason (my eternal quest for the exciting mix, I suppose), I am enjoying the idea of this slick, modern white light in a very old, dark and dusty room.

Last but not least, something old: I’ve always loved the distinctive floor lamps made by Italy’s Stilnovo, a company founded in Milan in 1946. A dealer in Catania, Sicily, is currently selling via 1stdibs a Stilnovo floor lamp manufactured in 1955 — it has a white marble base and two arms, one topped with a red shade, the other a white shade. The jaunty arms look almost entangled, the shades face opposite directions. The effect is brilliant: a couple, dancing.

If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall

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