Tips For Being A Clever Table Lamp Buyer

When it comes to buying a new table lamp for use in your home, it's likely that your purchase will go one of two ways - it will either be a perfect match for the space and the desired application, or it will look completely out of place and completely unsuitable for your needs. To ensure that you are being a clever buyer, take the below tips on board when making your next purchase:

Take a tape measure with you when visiting lighting showrooms. This will enable you to measure the height of the lamp to determine whether it is tall enough to cast light over the shoulder or not (this is important for a fixture that will be placed on a chair-side table to allow adequate illumination for reading). Find out the table lamp's maximum wattage and determine whether it is adequate for your needs. For normal lighting, you should be looking for around 50 watts and for reading you should be looking for at least 150 watts. Some fixtures will offer tri-functionality of 50, 100 and 150 watts. Stand a few feet away from the lamp to see whether the bottom of the shade hides the globe socket from view. If you can see any of the socket, you should continue looking, as this can cause too much glare and potentially damage your eyes. Carefully inspect the table lamp shade for other qualities that a clever buyer would find desirable. Can it, for example, allow you to reduce or increase the light output? The former is useful for creating a certain ambience in a space, whilst the latter is beneficial for studying or reading beneath the fixture. If you really like the base of a particular lamp but have found that its accompanying shade is unsuitable, consider purchasing an alternative shade that you can swap over when you get home. Most lighting showrooms will sell shades separately, so you should be able to find an appropriate one. Once you take the table lamp home, plug it in and spend a day or so turning it on and off at different times of the day to judge the effect achieved. If you aren't satisfied with the illumination provided or how the fixture fits in with your décor, return it.

By taking each of the above tips into consideration when embarking on a table lamp shopping expedition, you can ensure that you are a clever buyer and return home with the most appropriate fixture possible. Don't become one of those people who buy on impulse, as you will be left with a bunch of lamps that are completely unsuitable for your needs.