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My wife and I are both bookworms, and on the couch we read under a floor lamp from IKEA that we put warm bulbs in. It’s our main living room lamp, and it does the job.

Our bed still needs one, and it’s where we read to our daughter. Right now my wife reads there with a clip-on light attached to her book, so I’d like a proper bedside lamp.

We’d also planned a reading nook in one corner of the living room, until a relative gave us a nice massage chair that fit the spot perfectly. We’d still like a lamp and some wall shelves for our books there, and we haven’t picked anything yet.

Drilling’s an option, but I’d rather not, so for that corner I’d go for a floor lamp. A bulb sticking out would bother me a bit, but not too much. That’s why the Brightech Leaf is the one I’d look at first, since its LED sits hidden under the metal shade.

Which setup fits your nook?

For most people it’s a floor lamp beside the couch or chair, a small lamp or a book light in bed, and a wall light where there’s no floor or nightstand to spare.

A floor lamp for a reading nook corner

Beside a chair in a corner, floor space is what runs out first. The Leaf’s slim pole fits in next to the seat without crowding it.

The couch

Beside the arm of the couch, the Leaf puts its light to the side of your face and close to the page. If the spot right by the arm is taken, the Salcedo can stand a step back and carry its shade out over the arm instead.

In bed

On a nightstand, the O’Bright’s arm swings and its head tilts, so you can turn the light toward your side of the bed. The Glocusent skips the nightstand and clips straight onto the book. If you’re happy to drill, a swing arm wall lamp for reading goes just above your shoulder as you sit up, and the Kevyn swings out to either side of the bed.

Renting, or no wall you can drill

A floor lamp or a book light needs no wall at all, and the EZVALO goes up on adhesive strips. A plug-in sconce like the Kevyn still screws into the wall, so it’s not much help in a rental.

Which reading nook lamp is best?

The Brightech Leaf, for most couches and reading chairs.

Best by the couch or a reading chairBrightech Leaf LED Floor Lamp

Best for: the reader who wants one lamp and no fuss with bulbs.

It’s a quiet-looking lamp, so it sits beside the couch or your favorite chair without taking over the room. The metal shade keeps the light on your page.

A tap on top of the pole turns it down for late at night, and shoppers say the switch glows, so you can find it in the dark.

It comes in a good range of colors, too, so it’s easy to match to the room.

Specs53 in tall

Size

53 in tall, 19 in wide with the arm out

Light

Built-in LED, 3,000K, three levels

Weighs

7.82 lb

Warranty

5 years at Brightech, 3 years through Amazon

Best on a nightstandO’Bright LED Pharmacy Table Lamp

Best for: reading in bed, sitting up against the pillows.

For our bed, I’d want a lamp that turns right down low, and this is the one I’ve got my eye on. Hold its button and it dims from full to a soft glow, then remembers where you left it.

It takes up so little of the nightstand that there’s room for a great stack of books.

Specs17 in tall

Height

17 in, on a 12 cm base

Light

Built-in LED, 3,000K, dims 20 to 100%

Cord

6 ft

Warranty

1 year

Best clipped to the bookGlocusent Bookmark-Style Clip-On Book Light

Best for: a reader in bed, or anyone who reads late.

It clips onto the book itself, and its head turns to face the page you’re on.

Its amber setting gives off a soft, warm glow at night, so it’s a great little light for the last chapter. There’s even a bookmark in the box.

Specs1.41 oz

Size

4.09 x 1.34 x 0.59 in, 1.41 oz

Light

1,800K, 3,400K or 6,000K, five levels

Battery

10 to 80 hours of reading

Warranty

24 months

Best for a wall with no drillingEZVALO Rechargeable Magnetic Wall Light

Best for: a bedroom or a rental where drilling isn’t an option.

The head is magnetic, so it lifts off the wall and works as a portable light by the bed. It goes up on adhesive strips, so there’s nothing to drill and nothing to wire, and it has a warm setting for the evening.

If you want a small warm light on the wall beside the bed or a chair, it’s an easy one to try.

Specs4 x 5 x 1.3 in

Size

4 x 5 x 1.3 in, 8.8 oz

Light

150 lumens, 3,000K, 4,000K or 5,700K

Battery

Up to 10 hours at full brightness, USB-C

Warranty

2 years

Best for an arch over the couchWilla Arlo Interiors Salcedo Arched Floor Lamp

Best for: a couch that needs its light from a little farther back.

Its base stands a step back from the end of the couch, and the arch carries the shade out over the arm, so the light lands to one side of you. You switch it on with your foot, and the linen shade softens the glare.

Under $90 at Wayfair for a tall arched lamp is a lot of look for the money!

Specs78.4 in tall

Size

78.4 H x 32 W x 31.5 D in

Bulb

Your own, up to 60 W

Weighs

17.65 lb

Warranty

1 year

Best for a wall you can drillJoss & Main Kevyn Swing Arm Sconce

Best for: a bed against a wall, or a chair in the corner.

The arm swings far enough to reach a chair in the corner or either side of a bed. You can plug it in with the cord it comes with or have it hardwired.

On a wall you’re happy to drill, it’s a great way to clear the lamp off your nightstand.

SpecsReaches 24.25 in

Size

11 H x 11 W x 24.25 D in

Bulb

Your own, up to 100 W, 3-way socket

Weighs

6 lb

Warranty

1 year

Where should a reading lamp go?

Off to one side of you and close to the page, beside your face rather than in front of it. You want light on the book with no shadow across it, and none of it bouncing off the paper into your eyes.

There’s a simple way to check the bounce. With the lamp off, lay a small mirror flat on the page and look into it from your seat, and if you can see the lamp in it, its light will reflect back at you.

The shade’s job is to keep the bulb out of your line of sight. On a chair, its bottom edge sits about at your eye level when you’re seated, a little lower beside a sofa, and around chin height when you sit up in bed.

A wall lamp goes just above your shoulder in the spot where you usually read. Too high and it glares, too low and you end up slumping toward it.

Moving the lamp closer to the page often does more than a brighter bulb, because light falls off quickly with distance. It costs nothing, and you can try it tonight.

How bright and how warm should it be?

Bright enough on the page that you can read without squinting, and warm. I prefer warm, dim light, and that works fine as long as the lamp lights the page while the rest of the room stays low.

Look for warm white on the box (it says 2,700 to 3,000K), and save daylight bulbs for the daytime.

If you put an LED on a dimmer switch, it has to be rated for dimming, or it can flicker.

Why Reading Floor Lamps Tip

A long arm works like a lever, and a lamp tips once its weight shifts past the edge of its base. So a floor lamp is steadiest on a level floor with its head swung over the base rather than far out past it.

Of the two floor lamps here, the Salcedo is the heavier, with a weighted base, but it’s less steady on a plush rug. The Leaf is lighter and its pole can lean at the joints, so it’s happiest on a hard, level floor.

The two wall lights and the clip-on have no base to worry about at all.

What are the most common reading light mistakes?

The common ones are all about the bulb: the wrong type, the wrong warmth, or one you can see from your seat.

A regular bulb in a 3-way lamp loses you the low setting you want at night. A bulb you can see from the chair is glare, and a shade or a lower head is the cure.

Never go over the lamp’s bulb limit, because it can run the lamp too hot. And a cool daylight setting at bedtime is easy to leave on by accident, since the EZVALO and the Glocusent both have one.

Layering and Evening Light

Pair the reading lamp with a softer light elsewhere in the room, on a dimmer if you can. A lamp for the page, another for the room and a small accent lamp make a good mix.

For the last few hours of the evening, keep the light around you dim and warm, and the bedroom darker still once the book is down. Ordinary room light late in the evening can delay melatonin, and a paper book is gentler on your sleep than a glowing tablet.

The Glocusent’s amber setting and the Leaf on its lowest step both suit that stretch of the night.

Where to go next

Reading Nook Lighting Questions

I sold contract-grade furniture from 2016. More about who runs it.