October is when the lamps go on earlier and stay on longer, and a good table lamp can often do far more than a ceiling light. It pulls the corners of a room in, warms up the walls and gives your eye somewhere pleasant to land.
I've gathered eight that I'd happily put into a period home, from soft textile shades to a proper desk lamp with some history behind it. A few are on the pricier side, but they're the kind of items that will stick around forever - worthy of an investment.
The Ferm Living Poem and the Edgeform Tafta both use a fabric shade to soften the light, which is exactly what you want in a living room or bedroom once the evenings draw in. Poem has a sculptural shape, made by spraying liquid textile over a steel frame, while Tafta is quieter and happy on a shelf or small side table.
If you want a lamp that does its job without demanding attention, start here.
A heavier base gives a lamp presence even when it's switched off. The Anboise Daphne has a curved grey marble base with natural veining, so no two are quite alike, topped with a linen shade that keeps the light warm.
The Sézane Banjo is the smaller, softer option: a ceramic base with a woven shade, just over 30cm tall, which makes it a good fit for a bedside table or a windowsill.
Not every lamp needs to be soft. The Kaiser Idell 6631 comes from a design by Christian Dell that dates back to 1926, with a steel and brass body, a hand-painted shade and a ball joint, and the dark green is a lovely change from the usual black.
The Vaughan Oxford is a brass desk lamp with a trapezoid hood and swivel joints, so you can aim the light exactly where you need it. Either one makes a desk or a reading corner feel considered.
The Hum London Orb in olive brings in a deep, earthy green that sits well against warm neutrals and darker walls.
If you’d rather go a bit bolder, the Remilo from La Redoute comes in violet, with a round linen shade on a totem-like ceramic base. It’s a very different lamp from the Orb, more sculptural and graphic, but the colour does the same job of giving a quiet corner something to look at.
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