Lamp Height to Seating

The rule

A common rule of thumb puts the bottom of the shade at or just below the seated eye height of the person using it, so the bulb is hidden and the light falls on what they are holding.

This is a common rule of thumb out of decorating practice. It is not a standard, it is not a requirement, and nobody publishes it as one. What follows is where the number comes from, so you can disagree with it on the arithmetic rather than on taste.

The arithmetic

5 steps, and each one is a number you can check.

1. Find seated eye height. A sofa seat sits around 17 to 19 in off the floor, and an adult’s eye is roughly 24 to 30 in above the seat. That puts seated eye height somewhere around 41 to 49 in for most people on most sofas.
2. Take the lower end of that band as the target, because a shade that is slightly too low is a lamp you can read by and a shade that is slightly too high is a bulb in your eye.
3. Work back to overall height. On a lamp with a shade at the top, the bottom of the shade sits roughly 10 to 14 in below the overall height. A 60 in lamp therefore puts the shade bottom near 46 to 50 in.
4. That is why 60 in is the useful number and 72 in is not, for this job. A 72 in torchiere puts its head near 68 in, which is above a standing person’s eye let alone a seated one — it lights the ceiling on purpose.
5. Then check the reach sideways: a lamp beside a sofa arm wants its pole within about 12 to 18 in of the arm, or the light lands behind the shoulder rather than on the page.

Where the catalog falls short

Seven of the nine listings state a height, and those seven span a foot. Two of the three shelf lamps state no height at all.

7 of 9 listings state a height, from 60 in to 72 in. The other 2 state no height at all.

Nothing here is under 60 in, so there is no option for a low chair or a floor cushion. The two shelf lamps with no stated height cannot be placed against seated eye level by any honest method, and we are not going to estimate one from a photograph. Nothing here states a shade diameter either, so the spread of the light is unknown across the whole category.

Listings

9

State a figure

7

Smallest stated

60 in

Largest stated

72 in

Three things to keep in view

• The lamp cord never runs under the rug. Route it around the edge and along the wall.
• Do not exceed the maximum bulb wattage the lamp manufacturer prints on the fixture.
• Some listings state that no bulb is included. We do not recommend specific bulbs.

Sizes in the catalog this rule can be applied to

5 listings from Floor Lamps whose stated figure can be put against the arithmetic above. Whether any of them suits your room is a question this page cannot answer, because it depends on numbers only you have.

Only adjustable shade

Ambimall Floor Lamp with Linen Shade, 60 in

The only floor lamp here whose listing states an adjustable shade. Eight other listings state a fixed head or no shade adjustment at all.

Sixty inches overall with a shade that the listing says adjusts, which is the one variable that decides whether light lands on a page or on the ceiling. A seated adult’s eye sits somewhere around 40 to 44 in off the floor, and a 60 in lamp puts the bottom of the shade near that line. The listing states a 9W bulb in the box and three color temperatures.

The listing states

a 9W LED bulb, 3 color temperatures and an adjustable linen shade.

Best for

Beside a sofa arm, where the shade sits at seated height.

What works

• Sixty inches overall, which puts a shade near seated eye level rather than above it.
• The only lamp here whose listing states an adjustable shade.
• A 9W LED bulb is stated as included, so nothing else is needed to switch it on.
• Three color temperatures are stated, which is a choice of light tint.

What does not

• The listing gives no shade diameter, so the spread of light is unknown.
• Nine watts is the bulb the listing names; the fixture’s own maximum wattage is not stated.
• Color temperature is stated as a count of settings, not as Kelvin figures.

Check the listing

Tallest stated height

Globe Electric Torchiere Floor Lamp, 72 in

72 in, the tallest stated height in this category and the only lamp here above 65 in.

Seventy-two inches is the tallest thing in this category and a full foot above the 60 in lamps. A torchiere sends its main light up, which is a different job from lighting a page; the listing states a separate adjustable reading light for that. Slim and space saving, per the listing.

The listing states

an adjustable reading light and a slim space-saving design.

Best for

A corner where light should go up and a second head reads down.

What works

• Seventy-two inches, the tallest stated height in this category.
• The listing states a separate adjustable reading light alongside the uplight.
• A slim footprint, per the listing, which matters beside a chair arm.
• An uplight bounces off a ceiling instead of sitting in your eye line.

What does not

• Seventy-two inches is taller than most door frames are wide, and it reads tall in an 8 ft ceiling.
• The listing does not state whether a bulb is included.
• No wattage or lumen figure is stated.

Check the listing

Only stated lumen figure

GOEBLESON Slim Floor Lamp, 64.4 in

900 lm is the only light-output figure stated by any of the nine floor lamp listings here.

Sixty-four and four-tenths inches, and the only listing in this category that puts a number on its light output: 900 lumens. That figure describes how much light the stated bulb makes, not how it feels. The listing also states a magnetic remote, a foot switch, dimming, three color temperatures and a one-hour timer.

The listing states

a magnetic remote, a foot switch, dimming, 3 color temperatures, a 1-hour timer and a 900 lm bulb included.

Best for

A corner where the switch has to be reachable from the sofa.

What works

• Nine hundred lumens is stated, which is more than any other listing here gives you.
• Both a magnetic remote and a foot switch are stated, so it can be reached two ways.
• A one-hour timer is stated, which no other lamp here mentions.
• Dimming and three color temperatures are stated together.

What does not

• Sixty-four and four-tenths inches is close enough to the 64.6 in model that the difference is not visible.
• The listing states three color temperatures without naming the Kelvin values.
• A magnetic remote is one more thing to lose behind a sofa.

Check the listing

Stepless dimming, as stated

Ambimall Floor Lamp with Remote, 64 in

The only listing here that states stepless dimming. The others state a fixed number of levels or none at all.

Sixty-four inches, and the only listing here that says stepless rather than naming a number of steps. Stepless means the dimmer slides rather than clicks, which matters if you have ever found that the setting you want falls between two of them. A 9W bulb is stated as included.

The listing states

stepless dimming, adjustable color temperature and brightness, and a 9W bulb included.

Best for

A reading corner where the level gets adjusted often.

What works

• Sixty-four inches, in the middle of the range this category offers.
• Stepless dimming is stated rather than a fixed count of brightness steps.
• Color temperature is stated as adjustable rather than as a set of presets.
• A 9W bulb is included, per the listing.

What does not

• The listing states no lumen figure, so 9W is a power draw and not an output.
• No shade dimension is stated.
• A remote is the only stated control; no foot switch is mentioned.

Check the listing

Only stated shelf count

SUNMORY Shelf Floor Lamp, 63 in

The only shelf lamp here that states a number of tiers. The other two state a shelf without counting them.

Sixty-three inches, and the only shelf lamp here that states how many shelves it has. Four tiers over 63 in leaves roughly 12 to 14 in of clear height per tier once the base and the head are taken out, which is paperback height rather than art-book height. A 3 CCT bulb is stated as included.

The listing states

a 4-tier display bookshelf and a 3 CCT LED bulb included.

Best for

A corner where a lamp and a small shelf share one footprint.

What works

• Sixty-three inches is the only stated height among the three shelf lamps.
• Four tiers are stated, so you can work out the spacing before it arrives.
• A bulb is included, per the listing.
• Three color temperatures are stated, which is a choice of tint in the light.

What does not

• The listing states no shelf depth and no load figure.
• Four tiers in 63 in leaves short gaps; tall books will not stand up.
• 3 CCT is stated as a count, not as Kelvin values.

Check the listing

All 9 listings in this category: Floor Lamps

How this rule changes with the room

3 room shapes where this arithmetic lands somewhere different.

• The Standard 12 by 15
• Small Apartment Living Room
• Open Plan