Living room floor lamp: choosing and placing it well, arc, reading lamp, uplighter

A living room floor lamp brings light where the ceiling light cannot reach: beside the sofa, behind an armchair, into a dark corner. Arc, reading lamp, uplighter or shaded model, each family has its use, its right height and its right place. Here is how to choose it, where to put it, and when a wall light does the job better.

Let us say it straight away: Maison Alméa does not sell floor lamps. We offer wall lights and pendant lights. This guide therefore helps you choose a floor lamp completely independently, then shows you honestly when a wall light or pendant meets the same need better.

1. What a living room floor lamp is for

A living room floor lamp rarely serves as the main lighting. It complements the ceiling light or replaces it in rooms without a central light point. It is used for three jobs: lighting a specific corner (reading, armchair), warming up a dark corner, or bouncing light off the ceiling to light the whole room softly.

That job dictates the family, the height and the output. To place this choice within the whole room, our complete living room lighting plan details the role of each source.

2. The main families of floor lamps

3. The arc floor lamp: reach, base and position

The arc floor lamp is the most sought-after for a living room. Its base sits behind or beside the sofa, and its shade floats above the coffee table, like a pendant you never had to wire into the ceiling.

The right measurements

• Reach: between 1.20 m and 2 m depending on the model. Measure the distance between where the base will stand and the centre of the coffee table.
• Height: 1.80 m to 2.20 m at the top of the arc. The bottom of the shade ideally sits between 1.40 and 1.60 m from the floor above a coffee table, so it does not block the view of people sitting down.
• Base: a heavy base (stone, cast iron, concrete) is essential for stability. Allow for the footprint, often 30 to 40 cm square.

In a small room, the arc quickly overwhelms the space: a pendant then does better, see pendant light above a sofa.

4. The reading floor lamp: light for reading

A reading lamp concentrates light on the book without lighting the whole room. It goes next to the armchair, slightly behind your shoulder, on the opposite side to the hand that turns the pages, to avoid the shadow of your hand on the page.

The head is usually between 1.20 m and 1.40 m from the floor. An adjustable or flexible arm lets you change the angle without moving the base. Allow 250 to 400 well-directed lumens: that is enough to read without tiring your eyes. Our guide to creating a reading corner details the full set-up.

5. The uplighter and indirect light

The uplighter casts its light towards the ceiling, which reflects it around the whole room. The result is a soft general light, with no harsh shadows or glare. It is a good solution for lighting a living room without a ceiling light.

Two conditions for it to work: a light-coloured ceiling, ideally white, and a ceiling height of at least 2.40 m. Under a dark or low ceiling, the light is absorbed or forms a patch that is too concentrated. The principle of this reflected light is explained in direct, indirect and grazing light.

6. What height of floor lamp to choose

For a shaded model next to the sofa, the most reliable guide is simple: when seated, you should not be able to see the bulb from under the shade.

7. How many lumens and which colour temperature

Keep the same colour temperature as the other lights in the living room, otherwise the room looks disjointed. For the overall calculation, see how many lumens per room and our article on 2,700 K, 3,000 K or 4,000 K.

8. Where to put a floor lamp in the living room

• In a corner: a shaded floor lamp or an uplighter makes the room look bigger by lighting two walls at once.
• Next to the sofa: at the end of the armrest, 20 to 40 cm from the seat, for reading or chatting.
• Behind an armchair: the natural place for a reading lamp.
• Away from walkways: a base in a busy area always ends up getting knocked.

The cable should reach a socket without crossing a walkway. And with a playful cat, a lightweight floor lamp is a real risk, see lights and pets.

9. Floor lamp or wall light: the honest comparison

The floor lamp wins when you rent or move your furniture around often. The wall light wins as soon as floor space, safety or the look of the wall matter.

10. When a wall light does better than a floor lamp

In several situations, a wall light does the same job as a floor lamp, without its drawbacks:

• Small living room: a wall light frees up the floor and the corner of the room.
• Reading in an armchair: a wall light with an adjustable head, fitted at around 1.20 to 1.40 m, replaces the reading lamp. See our travertine and wood reading wall light with adjustable head and the guide to the swing arm wall light.
• A wall worth showing off: a natural stone wall light brings out the texture of the wall, which a floor lamp cannot do.

And if you do not want to drill for the cable, there is a halfway solution: the plug-in wall lamp, which fixes to the wall and plugs in like a floor lamp.

11. Combining floor lamp, wall lights and pendant

The best-lit living room combines several sources at different heights: a high light (pendant or ceiling light), a mid-height light (wall lights) and a low or targeted light (floor lamp, table lamp). That is the principle of the three layers of light.

The right split: two wall lights for mood on the main wall, a pendant above the coffee table or dining table, and a floor lamp or reading lamp by the armchair. To work out the number of wall lights, see how many wall lights in a living room.

12. In short

Choose your living room floor lamp according to its job: the arc to light the coffee table, the reading lamp for reading, the uplighter for soft general light, the shade to warm up a corner. Respect the heights (bulb hidden when seated, bottom of the arc at around 1.40 to 1.60 m), keep the same temperature as the rest of the living room and keep it away from walkways. When floor space, safety or showing off the wall come first, a wall light or pendant often does better. See also our guide to the living room wall light.

Frequently asked questions