Contemporary Floor Lamps

Lamps have been around for thousands of years. From rudimentary copper bowls that use simple wicker sticks and oil to the wide range of contemporary light sources, floor lamps have undergone different stages of technical and aesthetic evolution.

Today’s floor lamps extend beyond just lightening up homes and business establishments. Contemporary floor lamps now assume a functional role in providing accent, ambience, or character to a particular room or space. This role makes floor lamps one of the most popular fixtures among interior designers, landscape artists, homeowners and building administrators.

Available in different sizes, shapes, and illuminating power, floor lamps may be used to fully or just partially lighten a particular space in order to purposely generate a particular aesthetic or functional effect. Bulbs are usually adjustable in terms of output and angle of illumination and may even come in various colors.

Popular Types of Floor Lamps

Just as there are different styles and techniques of filling up and brightening interior and exterior spaces, there are as many types of floor lamps available for home and building owners. Here are some of the most popular.

Torchiere. This type is among the easily recognizable varieties of floor lamps. Torchieres are also called torch lamps and were already being used in Europe even as far back as the 17th century. The lighting source then were wax candles that were mounted on tall stands made of metal or wood. Today’s version, of course, can be of any lamp type (wax candles, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent light, halogen bulbs, etc.) and any stand material (wood, metal, plastic, composites, alloys, ceramics, etc). Torchieres usually take up only a small space in the room, are shaped unobtrusively, and provide well-diffused lighting by radiating the lamp beams towards the ceiling. For these reasons, torchiere lamps are highly sought after by building owners who intend to optimize limited spaces or project a minimalist style in the interior design.

Arc lamp. The arc lamp is composed of a weighted stand extending towards an arm that is shaped like an arc. Given such configuration, lamplight is usually radiating downwards, making the arc lamp perfect for places where reading or table lamps cannot be placed or installed easily. Because it has a unique shape, table lamps are also popular in both transitional and contemporary interiors.

Tower lamp. Tower lamps are distinguished by their sculptured or meticulously designed frames. Tower lamps often project a clear aesthetic function that often eclipses the lamp’s role as a light source. In fact, most tower lamps have dimmed and colored lighting whose primary purpose is to highlight the three-dimensional artwork in its frame. Moreover, frame design possibilities are endless, with various models evoking Asian, abstract, Art Deco, cubist, and other influences.

Trends in interior lighting

Following the various movements and styles in interior design, trends in lighting also reflect the emerging priorities and values people adopt for their living and work spaces. Ergonomics, style, and ecological sustainability are some of the factors that affect current consumer choices in floor lamp fixtures.. For example, concern for the environment is directing research for the development of more sustainable and power-efficient lighting. In the meantime, the demand for new but sensibly clean shapes, experimentation in terms of redefining traditional lamp designs, and the introduction of innovative materials constitute the impetus that drives aesthetic explorations.