I still think about this lamp.
I saw it at Timothy Paul well over a year ago, and I still think about it. Shoulda bought it. It was pricey, but so elegant and versatile. It could have gone on the round table in my living room. On the sideboard in the dining room. Or on the bedside table in the guest room.
Too late now.
Learn from my mistake, Gentle Readers. If you see a lamp you like, BUY IT. You will never be sorry. You WILL find a place to put it. You will youwillyouwill.
I’m not talking about “task” or reading lamps. You can usually find a decent reading lamp. I’m talking about ambient light in the form of “accent” lamps, which are fairly small, or “table” lamps, which can look frighteningly huge in the store but perfect in the context of your living room. Like men, good ones are hard to find. So when you stumble upon one you like, grab it.
If this post is inspiring you to stockpile, Robert Abbey gourd lamps are extremely versatile. They come in a multitude of colors and several sizes; you will always be able to find a place for one. (I have an orange gourd lamp in my office, but I’m about to move it to our family room.)
Restoration Hardware’s Palladian Urn Crystal Lamp is lovely for traditional spaces. Living room, bedroom…I could see this in several different spots. Except next to a crystal paperweight. That’s just dumb.
And Etsy is a great place to troll for one-of-a-kind lamps. This quirky little candlestick lamp would be adorable in a guest room or children’s room.
Or how about this Vintage Detroit Map Lamp? You won’t find that at Crate & Barrel.
I also like this extremely masculine Black & Gold Facets Table Lamp, which has “hip bachelor’s media room” written all over it.
This article has some good tips about choosing the right lamp for a space, but I think it’s tough to establish hard-and-fast rules. “Big lamp for big table” and “little lamp for little table” is the only guideline worth remembering. The hard truth is that you may not know whether a lamp will work in a certain spot until you try it.
Which brings me back to my original point: If you like a particular lamp, you will find a place for it. It may not be the place you originally had in mind. It may not even be in your current house. But you will find a great place for it, somewhere, someday.
Trust me on this one.
The “task” lamp is Artemide’s Tolomeo Mini Table Lamp.