There are a few basic rules to lighting: Make sure each room has three or more sources of light, place light at various heights, and ensure that all tasks are well lit. These rules exist to make sure rooms have enough light to see in but also so that they cast enough of a warm glow that you want to be in them.
Breaking these rules can ruin a whole room's design, said Breeze Giannasio, a Malibu, Calif., designer who works in the Washington, D.C., area. "People will worry about furniture, finishes, flooring, throw pillows — going to town on everything — but if the lighting isn't right, you can't see all of the work you've done."
Floor lamps are a great way to create that warmth. They can fit in tight spaces in small rooms or brighten a dark corner of a large room. They can add color to a neutral space or pizazz to a dreary one. They can even make up for a lack of overhead lighting. We talked to Giannasio, as well as Washington interior designer Sally Steponkus, for ideas on using floor lamps to fix some common design dilemmas.
For a small space
Floor lamps are key for a small space — whether it's a studio apartment or a suburban house's sitting room — because they add light without the bulk of a table lamp and end table. They're even better when they articulate and telescope, so you can adjust the light to shine where you need it.
• Swing lamps are "no-nonsense, and would look great on either side of a couch in a traditional … rowhouse," Giannasio said. You can find them at almost any price point and in any finish, including the brushed steel of World Market's Chemist's Floor Lamp ($120, www.worldmarket.com). "Lighting is the jewelry of the room, and sometimes you put on your handsome studs instead of your amazing chandeliers," she said.
• Stretch out a classic task lamp, and you get the Industrial Task Floor Lamp, which swivels and bends at two joints to accommodate different tasks and room layouts ($199, www.westelm.com). "I like floor lamps that are adjustable because I like to use them for reading, over the arm of a chair," Steponkus said. "They're classic, they're classy, they work with everything."
• "Floor lamps in general are versatile because they can fit into narrow spaces," Giannasio said. We're not sure you'll find a slimmer profile for a tight space than the Brazo LED Floor Lamp's ($490, www.roomandboard.com). It would practically disappear in a room, yet still provide ample (and dimmable) light where you need it.
For a large space
"Usually, floor lamps are more of a space saver," Steponkus said. "But a lot of them are more sculptural. And you need all kinds." A big lamp can add a focal point if the room is visually disjointed. "If you have space for a bigger floor lamp, you can have ones that have a shade," she added.