In an era when the big light is dead, and when we all want task lighting to create warm, inviting homes, knowing where to get table lights from has never been more important.
And in the 20 years I've been a design journalist and editor, many of the brands below have been constant sources of inspiration, furnishing the homes we've put in Livingetc and my own, too.
Each year, I attend as many design launches as I can, and it's these 10 that stand out most for where to buy lighting that can sit on your side table, a sideboard, even a kitchen, embracing the latest lighting trends.
In this list, you'll find contemporary colors like terracotta and mustard, artful glazes, and designer shapes. And so, in no order other than alphabetical, here are the very best places to buy table lamps.
1. Aram
Aram has long been a British institution - it's where I went when I was first starting out as a journalist and wanted to learn all about the classics of modern design. It's the home of established design houses, including Italian lighting brands such as Flos, Gubi, and Vitra, and what Aram has always done so well is provide an edit of these vast catalogues.
Each piece has been selected for its longevity and timelessness — some were first made 70 years ago and others were created this decade, but all have huge standout appeal.
This retro-futuristic orb-like shape was orignally designed in 1962 and has enduring appeal.
Two round balls — one small and gold, one large and with a bulb inside, come together to form what could easily be as much a sculpture as a table lamp.
You'll instantly recognize the mushroom-like shape of this lamp from the 1960s, seen in many a Livingetc-style house over the years, and now updated with a portable version.
2. H&M
No lighting guide would be complete without a nod to H&M, a brand who several designers have told me they reguarly use. I'm not surprised — its visual values fit well into the minimaluxe vibe that British designers do so well, and allow budgets to stretch even further. Particularly strong are the metal table lamps, in perfect, greyed-out yet sugary tones.
As well as its own affordable designs, it also retails modern lighting brands Houseof and Fifty Five South.
This soft brown tone fits well into the decor mood of the moment - warm but not overpoweringly so, with notes of blush pink that soften it. The fact that it's in a striking Art Deco-inspired silhouette help,s too, of course.
What the H&M design team lacks in imagination for its product names, it makes up for in sheer prettiness. Flamingo-pink swirls streak through this delicate glass lamp creating an exquisite pattern.
And this is why you shop at H&M for table lamps — those totally unexpected and highly designed pieces like this, which are so achingly modern and sculptural they look fresh from a furniture atelier.
3. Heal's
Heal's has always been a good place to start for every room in the house, but its lighting department has been legendary. Taking over an Aladdin's cave on the ground floor of its cavernous London department store it has twinkled with treasures from big names like Tom Dixon and Lee Broom, while also designing on-trend table lamps itself.
A smart mix of big names and wonderful little finds.
A Heals own design, this shows how well priced, sourced, and made its own products are. Carved from a column of marble, it offers a modern, ridge spin on a classic shape.
The trend for stripy red objet is going nowhere — it evokes a carefree, holiday style and deckchairs and pier fronts and summer awnings. Another of Heal's own designs.
Bare wood finishes are on the rise again as 'wood drenching' starts to take over from color drenching. If done well, it creates harmonious spaces (and doesn't look like a sauna). This lamp base is just the right tone.
4. Heathfield and Co
Each lamp at Heathfield and Co is handmade in the UK, and each design has a sense of charm imbued into it for this reason. Because it makes everything on site, this British lighting brand is able to adapt its style and adopt new approaches pretty swiftly — it was one of the first to embrace terracotta and olive when they started to be big color trends two years ago.
I've got the terracotta Fero, above, as my bedside lamp, on a dark walnut nightstand. A smart curation, there is something here for everyone.
This angular base has a softness thanks to the matt ceramic space and its handworn, speckled surface. Also available in olive green and merlot.
This architectural ridged green marble base also manages to play into another big design trend for scalloped edges — the top creating a scallop-effect in a clever contrast to the angular rattan shade.
Two handles flank the sides of this stoneware lamp, giving it the look of an urn, and like the sort of artful piece that might feature in Livingetc favorite Athena Calderone's apartment.
5. LightsandLamps
Back in the glory days of the British high street, BHS used to be a stylist and design journalist's secret trove of lighting. It was affordable, desirable and boasted a mixture of styles.
Two of the people responsible for that offering launched LightsandLamps in 2020, a more refined offering but no less impressive, elevating the design sensibilities while keeping a really attractive price point. Brown marble, rattan, glass and elegance combine to form very right-for-now aesthetic.
Short, stubby and made from ridged concrete, this looks so much more expensive than the price tag suggests.
The quiet sophistication of the Spanish marble base is characteristic of the LightsandLamps aesthetic. Use to warm up neutral schemes.
Made from an onyx that evokes how sands look when they're displayed in a glass jar, this has a calming beauty and therefore is the ideal bedside light.
6. Neptune
British crafts brand Neptune has come a long way since it was 'just' known as a fitted furniture and kitchen brand.
It has since branched out into furniture, soft accessories and, maybe most notably, lighting. As with its kitchens, Neptune brings a rustic charm to even the most urban homes, helping to build spaces that are familiar, comfortable, and elevated.
One of the things Neptune excels at is glazes and this ombre effect is proof. The colors, gleams, and crackles are all rich and beguiling.
The price belies the craftsmanship which has gone into the smooth lathing of this wooden base, and it's easy to see how the brand has diversified its skills from wood kitchens.
Yet this lamp, etched in a seashell-like motif and reminiscent of the fan shape seen in classic Art Deco pieces is a prime example of the sort of surprises you can also expect at Neptune, that blend the brand's skill for artistry with more on-trend directions.
7. OKA
Highly decorative and verging on the classic, if you pair OKA lamps with warm colors and clear spaces then you have the makings of a very artful yet modern space.
As with everything OKA sells, the vibe is very grown up here — we've come a long way since H&M near the top of this list — but that's what makes it so special. Perfect for anyone with a reading room... or anyone who wishes they had one.
The way the glaze doesn't go quite down to the bottom is what gives this ceramic lamp its personality It's has a handmade quality to it that sums up OKA's approach to perfection.
The base has the curves and creativity that fits into a contemporry scheme, while the shade takes its inspiration from the heavily patterned vintage fabrics you'd expect in a more traditional space. A classic OKA blend of styles that works in so many decor schemes.
More perfectly imperfect mustard glaze, but this time with sharper edges, and therefore more sturdier seeming. This would work well in a dining room, as a pair, either side of a console at the head of a table, casting a rich glow over proceedings.
8. Pooky
There is so much character and personality to be found at Pooky. This is the brand who made printed and patterned fabric lampshades affordable, and who led the charge in making unusually shaped ceramic bases.
As such, it's the perfect spot to find that piece that to brighten a dark corner, packing a decor punch with its heavily decorative designs.
The ridged base creates the sort of silhouette that looks good on a shelf even when it's not lit, lending an architectural air despite its whimsical color.
The Aurora is actually rechargeable — and you're asking how that's different from portable? It means that it has the sturdiness usually missing from portable lamps, but also doesn't need wires to be on. It can be kept in the middle of a coffee table without adding clutter — a huge design bonus.
There is an organic fluidity to the base of this lamp, evoking plant bulbs and flower buds and its curves like the flow of water. It's a pretty piece that has the air of something bought from a local artisan — and if that were the case it is likely to be three times the price.
9. Porta Romana
A trip to the Porta Romana showroom in Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, is always a highlight of London Design Week — or any week, for that matter.
This is where to go if you're looking for that one standout piece to completely overhaul a room, or you need a selection of breathtakingly beautiful lamps that manage to simply calm down the space they're in.
One of the first pieces that potter Dylan Bowen designed for Porta Romana, it has gone on to become widely used in many of the homes we feature in Livingetc. Why? Because its organic shape and deceptively simple form look just as refined when the lamp is switched off as on.
Designed by Viola Lanari, this is one of those rare pieces that — when it launched in 2019 - was able to make both Livingetc staffers and our colleagues on our sister brand Homes and Gardens gasp with delight. It has the marks of the maker our counterparts love, while also being made with such gleeful modernity that it speaks to our values, too. Timeless.
This was inspired by Picasso's style, and it has the same irregularity and playfulness. An unexpected form and a work of art in its own right, like much of what you'll find at Porta Romana.
10. Visual Comfort
Founded in the USA, many of the American designers we interview and feature specify from Visual Comfort almost constantly. Its collab with design superstar Kelly Wearstler, above, has become particularly favoured, from the lozenge-shaped wall lights to the bobble-ridged table lamps. But look beyond these headline-grabbing stars and you'll find table lamps big, small, outlandish and quiet. Whatever you need, it's here.
Coming from the Kelly Wearstler collab, and with the same alabaster finish as the much-specified wall lights, this lamp has the same high end sophistication and drama.
It's not just Kelly Wearstler who creates standout lamps for Visual Comfort and this, from the brand's own collection, blends 1970s ceramics with contemporary shapes and flair.
Ok, but back to Kelly Wearstler as an edit of Visual Comfort couldn't not include her bobble edges. One of the first tastemakers to use them, this lamp has a weight and heft to it that says the owner of the room its in is serious about design.
As you can see, there's a wide breadth of offerings when it comes to styles of table lamps, and the price points they come at. While the most budget-friendly on the list is H&M Home, with table lamps retailing anywhere from £60+, the designer options are almost endless, and these are just a handful of our favorites.
