A good reading lamp puts light on the page, not in your eyes. Three numbers decide it: how high the head sits, how far it reaches over the chair and how many lumens the bulb gives.
What is the best floor lamp for reading?
A task floor lamp with a head you can aim. Anglepoise's Type 75 Floor Lamp, designed by Sir Kenneth Grange in 2004, balances its arm on springs. Anglepoise's US spec sheet gives it a maximum horizontal reach of 28 inches and a maximum vertical reach of 70 inches, with a 600-lumen, 2700K LED bulb included and the switch on the shade. Anglepoise calls it "the perfect reading light."
If you would rather light the whole corner, Tala's Poise telescopes from 49⅛ to 66⅞ inches with a built-in dimmer for its 720-lumen bulb, and Luceplan's Costanza sets a 16-inch shade on a fixed 60-inch stem or on a telescopic one that adjusts from 47 to 63 inches.
Anglepoise · Meter 4.2Type 75 Floor LampSir Kenneth Grange, 2004; 28 in max reach; switch on the shade
$335
Anglepoise · Meter 4.21227 Floor LampGeorge Carwardine's 1935 design; 28.3 in max reach; bulb included
$335
Tala · Meter 3.8Poise Adjustable Floor Lamp & Sphere VTelescopes 49⅛ to 66⅞ in; 720 lm, CRI 95; built-in dimmer
$445Shop →
Luceplan · Meter 3.3Costanza Floor LampPaolo Rizzatto, 1986; fixed 60 in stem or telescopic (costs more)
From $550Reading floor lamps compared: which suits your chair, room and posture?
Choose by how you sit. Upright in an armchair, you want a head you can aim over your shoulder. Curled into the corner of a sofa, a reading floor lamp for the living room can be a taller globe or shade that lights the page and the room. In a small nook, a slim base.
| Lamp | Type | Height and reach (what is measured) | Light | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglepoise Type 75 Floor (and the Margaret Howell and Paul Smith editions) | Task, sprung arm | 70 in max vertical reach; 28 in max horizontal reach | 600 lm, 2700K LED included | Armchair or wingback, sitting upright; reading in bed |
| Anglepoise Original 1227 Floor | Task, sprung arm | 70 in max vertical reach; 28.3 in max horizontal reach | Bulb included | Armchair by a window; a classic gloss finish |
| Tala Poise with Sphere V or Oval II | Telescopic, bare globe | Lamp height, 49⅛ to 66⅞ in | 720 lm, CRI 95, built-in dimmer | End of a sofa or a reading nook; reading with the room lit |
| Luceplan Costanza | Telescopic, with shade | Lamp height: telescopic 47 to 63 in; fixed stem 60 in | E26 bulb, not included; sensor dimmer on the aluminum telescopic version | Living room beside a sofa; page and room light together |
| Luceplan Lady Costanza | Arc | Lamp height 85 to 98 in; arc reaches about 80 in | E26 bulb, not included; dimmer built in | Over a sofa in a large room with a tall ceiling |
| UMAGE Eos Evia, Carmina and Clava Wood on a tripod | Tripod, with shade | Carmina 60 in overall height | E26 bulb up to 15 W LED, not included | Japandi or Scandinavian rooms; soft light by a nook chair |
Anglepoise figures are the maximum vertical and horizontal reach on Anglepoise's US spec sheets for the Type 75 and Original 1227 floor lamps. Tala, Luceplan and UMAGE figures are overall lamp heights from the makers' product pages. Prices and stock show on the product cards.
How tall should a reading floor lamp be?
Measure to the bottom of the shade, not the top of the lamp. As a rule of thumb, the bottom of the shade should sit at about your shoulder when you are seated, roughly 40 to 48 inches off the floor beside a lounge chair. Sit down and check: if you can see the bulb, lower the head.
An adjustable floor lamp for reading takes out the guesswork: the Type 75's head goes anywhere up to 70 inches, Poise telescopes from 49⅛ to 66⅞ inches and Costanza from 47 to 63. A fixed lamp has to be right on day one; UMAGE's Carmina tripod stands 60 inches overall.
Where should a floor lamp go next to a reading chair?
Beside the chair and slightly behind it, with the shade at about shoulder height, so light falls over your shoulder onto the page. Directly behind your head, the lamp throws your shadow across the book; in front of you, it shines in your eyes.
With a task lamp, stand the base behind the chair arm and swing the head forward over your shoulder. A high wingback blocks light from behind, so set the lamp level with its side, and run the cord along the wall, not across a walkway. Choosing the chair too? Our lounge and accent chair guide compares them.
What bulb is best for reading: how many lumens, which kelvin?
Brightness is lumens, not watts. ENERGY STAR's bulb guide puts a 40-watt equivalent at 450 lumens and a 60-watt at 800. Under a task shade a foot or two from the page, 450 to 800 lumens is plenty; Anglepoise supplies a 600-lumen LED with its Type 75 floor lamps. A shade or globe that also lights the room wants 800 or more, within the lamp's limit (10 W LED for Anglepoise, 15 W for UMAGE).
For color, 2700K to 3000K warm white suits evening reading, and 3500K neutral white gives crisper contrast; daylight bulbs, 5000K and up, look blue beside warm lamps at night. For illustrated books, look for CRI 90 or higher: Tala's Sphere V and Oval II are CRI 95, and the Sphere V dims from 2800K to 2000K.
Task, arc or tripod: which floor lamp is best for reading?
An adjustable task floor lamp is best for reading itself: its head puts light on the page and nowhere else. An arc lamp reaches over a sofa without ceiling wiring but needs floor and ceiling room; Luceplan's Lady Costanza stands 85 to 98 inches high and reaches about 80 inches.
Tripod and shade lamps light the room more than the page, so they suit reading only with the shade near shoulder height. Tala's Poise sits in between: a dimmable bare bulb you can raise over a chair back.
Luceplan · Meter 3.3Lady Costanza Floor LampArc reaching about 80 in; built-in dimmer; made in Italy
From $2,465
Tala · Meter 3.8Poise Adjustable Floor Lamp & Oval IIOval II bulb, 720 lm at CRI 95; telescopic; built-in dimmer
$445Shop →
UMAGE · Meter 3.8UMAGE Eos Evia Tripod Floor Lamp, Medium LampshadeGoose-feather shade, 15.7 in, on a slim tripod; E26 bulb
$330Is an Anglepoise floor lamp good for reading?
Yes; reading is what the floor versions are made for. Anglepoise calls the Type 75 floor lamp "the perfect reading light," and its data sheet for the Original 1227 floor lamp describes "a highly adjustable reading lamp." Both balance on springs, so the head stays where you leave it, and both reach up to 70 inches high with a bulb in the box.
The Type 75 is Sir Kenneth Grange's 2004 reworking, matte or brushed, with the switch on the shade; the Original 1227 floor lamp carries George Carwardine's 1935 design in gloss paint, switched from the cable. The Margaret Howell and Paul Smith editions of the Type 75 are switched from the cable too. See them all in our Anglepoise collection.
Anglepoise · Meter 4.2Type 75 Floor Lamp - Margaret Howell EditionType 75 in Yellow Ochre, Sienna or Saxon Blue; cable switch
$335
Anglepoise · Meter 4.2Type 75 Floor Lamp - Paul Smith EditionType 75 in Paul Smith edition colors; cable switch
$430Anglepoise · Meter 4.21227 Floor LampGeorge Carwardine's 1935 design; 28.3 in max reach; bulb included
$335
Behind the lamp · Anglepoise · Est. 1935 · Lifetime guarantee
The balanced-arm lamp, guaranteed for life
George Carwardine's 1932 spring formula became the Original 1227 lamp in 1935. Sir Kenneth Grange, Anglepoise's design director from 2003 to 2024, reworked it as the Type 75 in 2004. Anglepoise still designs its lamps in Hampshire, England, guarantees them for life when registered and sells more than 60 spare parts. It is a Certified B Corp.
- Lifetime guarantee on lamps bought since 2020
- Certified B Corp
- 60+ spare parts available
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Can you use a floor lamp for reading in bed or in a reading nook?
Yes, if it reaches. Beside a bed, the head has to clear the nightstand and come over the pillow. Anglepoise's US spec sheets give the Type 75 a maximum horizontal reach of 28 inches (28.3 for the Original 1227) and both a maximum vertical reach of 70 inches, so either floor lamp can stand behind the nightstand and angle down over your shoulder while you sit up against the headboard. Short of floor space? A wall-mounted reading light over the bed frees the nightstand and puts the shade beside your shoulder.
In a nook, the footprint matters most. Tala's Poise stands on an 8⅛-inch base and Costanza on one about 7 inches square, narrow enough for the gap between a chair and the wall. No outlet nearby? Our cordless lamps guide covers lamps that run on a battery.
What is a Japandi floor lamp, and can you read by one?
A Japandi floor lamp pairs a natural shade with slim legs and warm light. Three of ours fit, each on UMAGE's three-legged stand: Clava Wood, for a shade of laser-cut oak and ash lamellas that casts rays of light; Eos Evia, for a goose-feather shade that softens the bulb; and Carmina, for a polypropylene shade whose soft curves take their lines from Denmark's coastal dunes, at 60 inches overall.
They are room lights first, so read by one only if the bottom of the shade sits near shoulder height and you fit the brightest bulb it takes, a 15 W LED; otherwise add a slim task lamp by the chair. For the rest of the room, see our Japandi furniture guide.
Shop the Japandi corner · 1 piece
UMAGE · Meter 3.8UMAGE Clava Wood with Tripod Floor StandOak and ash lamellas on a tripod; 10-yr warranty if registered
$810
UMAGE · Meter 3.8UMAGE Eos Evia Tripod Floor Lamp, Large LampshadeGoose-feather shade, 21.7 in, on a slim tripod; E26 bulb
$540
UMAGE · Meter 3.8UMAGE Carmina Tripod Floor Lamp, H: 60", Medium Lampshade60 in tall; 18.9 in polypropylene shade; E26 bulb
$198What is the most eco-friendly floor lamp?
The one you keep running for decades: a standard bulb you can replace, spare parts from the maker and a warranty with clear terms. Anglepoise guarantees its lamps for life when registered and sells more than 60 spare parts, Luceplan sells Costanza's shades separately, and Anglepoise, Tala and UMAGE are Certified B Corps. Compare them in our eco-friendly floor lamps collection; our Sustainability Meter scores each maker on six criteria, and the lighting brands guide sets them side by side.
Reading floor lamps: common questions
What is the best floor lamp for reading?
A task floor lamp whose head you can aim over your shoulder, with a 450- to 800-lumen bulb. Anglepoise's US spec sheet gives its Type 75 Floor Lamp a maximum horizontal reach of 28 inches and a maximum vertical reach of 70 inches, and it comes with a 600-lumen, 2700K LED.
How tall should a reading floor lamp be?
Tall enough that the bottom of the shade sits at about shoulder height when you are seated, roughly 40 to 48 inches off the floor beside a lounge chair. Adjustable lamps such as the Type 75, Poise and Costanza let you set it exactly.
Where should a floor lamp go next to a reading chair?
Beside the chair and slightly behind it, so light falls over your shoulder onto the page. Not directly behind your head, which shadows the book, and not in front of you, where it shines in your eyes.
How many lumens do you need for a reading lamp?
About 450 to 800 lumens under a task shade close to the page, the output of a 40- to 60-watt incandescent bulb. A shade or globe that also lights the room needs 800 or more, within the lamp's maximum bulb rating.
What color temperature is best for reading?
Warm white, 2700K to 3000K, for evening reading in a living room; neutral white, around 3500K, for crisper contrast. Look for CRI 90 or higher if you read illustrated books.
What is a floor lamp with a reading light?
A floor lamp whose light you can point at the page: a task lamp with an adjustable head, such as Anglepoise's Type 75 or Original 1227 floor lamps, rather than a fixed shade that lights the whole room.
Is an Anglepoise floor lamp good for reading?
Yes. Anglepoise calls the Type 75 floor lamp “the perfect reading light.” Its spring-balanced arm holds the head where you leave it, with a maximum vertical reach of 70 inches and a maximum horizontal reach of 28 inches on Anglepoise's US spec sheet, and it comes with a 600-lumen bulb.
Is an arc, task or tripod floor lamp better for reading?
A task lamp, because it aims light at the page. An arc lamp suits reading on a sofa in a large room; a tripod lamp gives softer light for the whole room and works for reading only if its shade sits near shoulder height.
Can I use a floor lamp for reading in bed?
Yes, if it reaches over the nightstand. An adjustable floor lamp such as the Type 75, with a maximum horizontal reach of 28 inches, can stand behind the nightstand and angle down over your shoulder as you sit up.
What's the most sustainable or eco-friendly option for floor lamps?
A lamp you can keep running: a replaceable standard bulb, spare parts and a long warranty. Anglepoise guarantees its lamps for life when registered and sells more than 60 spare parts, Luceplan sells Costanza's shade separately, and Anglepoise, Tala and UMAGE are Certified B Corps.
