Answering “What is a torchiere floor lamp?” is a question that will bring you back to the late 1800s. With a vibrant history, this classical option for a floor lamp has become a fan favorite amongst decor enthusiasts and homeowners. Let’s dive into the fascinating history of torchiere floor lamps and how you can style them perfectly in your home.
The History of the Torchiere Floor Lamp
The story for these lamps starts in the late 1800s, although they weren’t anything like the torchiere floor lamp we know today. In fact, the term “torchiere” loosely translates to the French word “tall candelabrum.” With that said, it’s easy to see how torchiere first originated in France.
Initially, they were the most popular type of floor lamp, especially as electricity became more widespread in homes. It became an even more popular option, as in the 1930s, the floor lamp became a more efficient light source. On average, households could conserve up to 75% of their electricity consumption with the lighting.
As the lamps approached 1987, halogen torchiere lights became the more popular solution. These models were imported directly from Europe but came with their own array of concerns. For example, halogen torchiere lamps became known to cause fires, igniting flammable materials within seconds.
As a result of this potential for danger, fluorescent torchiere lamps became a more popular solution. Not only were they safer, but fluorescent bulbs in the floor lamps lasted nearly five times longer than their halogen counterparts.
What Is a Torchiere Floor Lamp?
You’ve likely seen a torchiere floor lamp if you’ve ever visited a vintage store or a more traditionally-styled home. They’re quite iconic, featuring an elegantly long body that spans significantly higher than other lighting fixtures. Their shades are also unique, curving upwards and often outwards, facing the ceiling in a variety of styles.
Most often, homeowners use this type of lighting to add a bright accent to a room or ambient lighting. You can also find them in various styles and colors, making them a fabulous decor option. One of the more popular variations is the iconic “Tiffany-style” stained glass shades that make quite an impression.
Although a torchiere floor lamp is often used in more traditional decor, you can turn it into modern floor lamps using the right light bulbs. You can find contemporary styles that boast clear or frosted glass instead of stained glass.
The Benefits of a Torchiere Floor Lamp
There are multiple benefits to torchiere floor lamps, which is why they’re as popular as they are. Let’s look at some of the biggest reasons you should consider their enormous variety of lamp styles.
Space Efficient
Thanks to their slender styling, torchiere floor lamps are your best bet if you don’t have a big living space to work with. In fact, the lamp base is specifically designed to take up as little floor space as possible. Most models don’t have bases any longer than the width of their shades.
Torchiere lamps are easy to place beside and underneath furniture, helping you save valuable real estate. You can also tuck them comfortably behind couches, dining room tables, and accent furniture. With their brilliantly shaped shades, they’ll contribute to a room’s lighting regardless of where you place them.
Diffused Lighting
Opting for torchiere floor lamps is a fantastic alternative if you’re particularly sensitive to bright lights. Instead of having an overhead light shining bright, radiant light directly in your face, the shade points upwards. As the hot bulb glows, the light is diffused amongst the ceiling, making it a fantastic option for ambiance.
It’s elegant, stylish, and with the right light bulb, it can set the perfect mood for any occasion. You can put the lamp beside a reading chair for some diffused light without any visual discomfort. They can also be a remarkable lamp for bedroom lighting if you need an ambient floor lamp
Task Lighting
Besides being an excellent choice for diffused lighting in a space, torchiere floor lamps are great task lights. Task lights are loosely defined as lighting that you’d use for an activity, such as reading. They work perfectly in studies and dining rooms, adding the ideal brightness level for reading and writing.
The most important part of transforming these lamps into bright beacons is their bulbs. You’ll want to ensure you choose fluorescent bulbs with the ideal amount of wattage.
Simple Construction
When you invest in a lamp, the last thing you’ll want is an overly complicated model that can’t be repaired. With the strong history of the torchiere lamp for bedroom lighting, you can also guarantee they’re one of the simplest to fix. In fact, if you have the right tools, you can make minor repairs on your own, such as rewiring the lamp.
Easy Maintenance
If there’s one thing to be said about lamps, keeping them clean can be quite the hassle. You’ll find this point particularly true when it comes to small table lamps with tiny shades. On the other hand, torchiere floor lamps are straightforward to keep clean.
The entire lamp is prone to attract more dust than other lamps as they point upwards. However, simply wipe the inside of the shade with a soft cloth once or twice. If you’re doing a deep clean, quickly remove the shade by removing the bulb and cleaning the lamp.
You can wipe down the sleek and elegant base without any disassembly. Overall, it’s one of the easiest types of lighting that you can keep looking its best for optimal brightness.
Integrated Dimmer Switch
With most torchiere lamps, you’ll have a special feature that adds to their versatility, a dimmer. Dimmer lamps can help create even more ambient lighting and customize the brightness of a room. If you need task lighting, you will leave the dimmer off, while if you want to diffuse gentle light, simply engage it.
The majority of these types of floor lamps will come with a switch that you need to click into position for dimming. A dimmable modern standing lamp has a three-way switch or more, allowing several dimming modes, but more modern fixtures could offer more.
The Disadvantages of a Torchiere Floor Lamp
With their worldwide popularity, it’s hard to see the disadvantages torchiere lighting may have in your home. Let’s look at a few reasons why it might not be optimal.
Stability
The most concerning issue with torchiere lighting is its stability, especially in homes with children and pets. Remember, the elongated lamp base makes it look elegant but can also make it dangerous. If you don’t have a stable base in place, the lamp can sway from side to side and be knocked over easily.
Some torchiere lamps are also remarkably lightweight, making them easy to move and topple. They’re certainly not recommended in high-traffic areas or anywhere small children can get to them.
Delicate or Heavy Design
With their tendency to be easily knocked over, torchiere lamps can be incredibly delicate. The majority of these lamps boast glass shades, which are prone to shatter if they fall. This point is particularly true if you’ve invested in a style made from thin glass.
The base is another part of the functional lamp that is a cause for concern. Most torchiere lamps are crafted from thin metal, which can bend and dent easily. You must take extra measures to protect the lamp if you intend to move in the future.
On the other hand, torchiere floor lamps can also be far heavier than expected. Although this can help prevent them from toppling over, it can make them challenging to move. If you have a bronze torchiere floor lamp or brass floor lamp, you won’t want to move it too often.
How to Style a Torchiere Floor Lamp
If you love the idea of these floor lamps, having some foolproof styling tips can help. You’ll easily be able to add a new fixture into your space to bring in elegance and opulence.
Bulb Choice
One of the best ways to change the feel of a torchiere lamp is to choose your bulbs wisely. You will want to consider wattage for brightness, hue, and general bulb design. Edison bulbs are a fan favorite, especially without a shade if you’re going for a more rustic approach.
If you’re interested in a glowing fixture, warm bulbs with dimmable functions are the best option. Also, they allow for a little extra customization since you can choose how bright you want the lamp to be. On the other end of the spectrum, torchiere floor lamps work remarkably well as task lighting.
You can quickly achieve task lighting with a bright bulb and a clear or semi-frosted shade. Together, these items will allow more light to be diffused across the ceiling, brightening the space.
Choosing a Shade Type
Another massive contributor to the general style of torchiere lamp is the shade type you choose. As mentioned, traditional and modern shades are the most common. However, it’s also easy to find rustic and antique shades.
Ideally, you’ll want to find the perfect shade design that blends in seamlessly with your decor. Or, you can use the lamp as an accent piece, having it stick out from the rest of your furniture. It’s also important to consider shade type for brightness, as it’s responsible for diffusing the light.
For example, if you want to brighten a space, you won’t want an opaque lampshade or a frosted glass shade. You might also want to ensure the shade curves outward, allowing more light to escape.
Finding the Optimal Height
The most iconic feature of torchiere floor lamps is their height, which typically spans close to the ceiling. With that said, many models come in at different heights. If you want to elongate the height of a room, choosing a moderately tall lamp (between five and six feet) is recommended.
However, if you’re looking to make the biggest possible impact, a floor lamp height of over six feet can be a remarkable addition. Always ensure the shade isn’t too close to the ceiling, or it could be a fire hazard.
Other Popular Lamp Types
Before you decide to add a torchiere light into your home, it’s essential to consider your options. Let’s explore a few other popular lamp styles that could spruce up any room in your home.
Club Lamps
Often found in billiards clubs and cigar rooms, club lamps have a unique appeal similar to torchiere lamps as accent lighting. They carry an iconic style that works well with luxurious decor, boosting the depth and richness of a space. You’ll also find they’re easy to identify, as they have a mid-length base with a flared-out shade.
Club lamps are known for their adequate lighting, much like torchiere lamps. However, instead of diffusing light upward, they diffuse it outward. The unique curvature of the lampshade creates remarkable side lighting, ideal as direct task lighting or bedroom night lighting.
Mogul Lamps
If you’re looking for the brightest option for floor lamps, mogul lamps are a fabulous choice. They’re known for their brilliants, as they boast a three-way bulb that could also include more bulbs. You have complete control over how many to use at a time, whether one, two, or all.
If you have large rooms, these floor lamps are highly recommended. Their shades are also flared out significantly, allowing most of the light to radiate outwards. You might find mogul lamps are a fantastic replacement for standard ceiling lights.
Tower Floor Lamps
The final popular option for floor lighting is undoubtedly the tower floor lamp. Tower lamps work well in contemporary spaces as a far more modern option than torchiere lighting. With that said, tower lamps are best for ambient lighting rather than task lighting.
Tower floor lamps come in a variety of styles and shapes, with most being incredibly creative. You’ll find they make a fabulous focal point, as their unique architecture is sure to take our breath away. Their history is also unique, having been adopted from the sculptural forms of Asian lanterns.
A Lamp Compatible for Most Interiors
If you ask, “What is a torchiere floor lamp?” the answer is simple as you’ve likely seen one before. As one of the most iconic floor lamp types, it adds an extra layer of sophistication to any space in your home. Also, with its versatile styling, it’s the perfect floor lamp that works with an endless number of aesthetic styles.
