15 Floor Lamps with Sculptural Appeal
Floor lamps often act as a room’s visual anchor. Marrying function with aesthetics, they’re one of the easiest ways to cast an even glow while introducing verticality and balance. Shop designer-approved selections with inspiration to add visual depth on more sculptural terms.
Design by Nina Farmer Interiors, Photography by Stephen Johnson
Ask any designer about a room’s make-or-break features and they’ll be quick to discuss lighting. Layered lighting plans are essential to the well-considered home, and both floor lamps and table lamps are key parts of that equation. Designer Brian Paquette emphasized this idea as a guest on episode 8 of The Interior Collective podcast. “Lighting plans show off the best assets of the house functionally, but also aesthetically,” he said. “There’s lighting that supports the bones of the house, and then there’s the lighting that supports the furniture plan of the house where people are actually going to live.”
In this source guide, we’re focused on the latter with sculptural floor lamps across four categories. The common thread among these selections? Think floor lamps sculptural enough to serve as art, yet functional enough to replace the overhead lights for good.
1. Arc
Curves have swept the interior design scene over the past several years. We’ve seen them on sofas, headboards, coffee tables, and, of course, lighting. Arc floor lamps are yet another iteration of the curve trend, used to soften clean lines within a space. Designers like Nina Farmer and Shannon Eddings are experts at incorporating curves into their projects, creating a sense of visual movement.
2. Tripod
An oldie but a goodie, the tripod floor lamp continues to span decades and design genres. Popularized in the mid-century modern era, the characteristic tripod base gives the lamp a clean, minimalist feel that works nicely in living rooms and home offices alike. The lamp’s base is a great way to add texture within a space, whether it’s warm wood or a more unexpected metal.
3. Torchiere
Commonly used in modernist design, torchiere floor lamps are the perfect way to cast an upward glow. The lamp’s upward-facing shade is often round and balanced with a thin, straight base for a pared-back look. These minimalist lamps are ideal for lighting larger spaces and lend endless sculptural appeal.
4. Task
Every reading nook deserves a dedicated task lamp. These directed light sources bring necessary function to a space while also providing visual balance with their height and silhouette. A task lamp is also a fun opportunity to introduce new shapes or even primary colors, experimenting with design elements that add bold personality on low-risk terms. Reath Design did exactly that in their Craftsman project using a red zig zag lamp by Jieldé.
BY: ANASTASIA CASEY