Interior Design Ideas

Interior Design Accessories: Modern Table Lamps

May 5, 2026

I have some lovely painted tole, painted ceramic and candlestick lamps but, alas, this is not their year. Today, as with other elements of interior decorating, the designs for lamps have simpler lines and less pattern. While shades may have a natural texture of linen or woven grass, they are for the most part, lacking decorative seams, pleating and applied fabric trims. That is unless the lamp shade “is” the major design element of the lamp, as is true for some fabulous custom made shades.

If you are searching at yard sales and in thrift stores for some mid century lamps to redesign with a new shade, you’re in for a long search because there were a lot of truly ugly pieces that gratefully haven’t survived. If you aren’t patient enough to wait for the octogenarians who saved everything since the depression to offer an estate sale, well, here are some other options for decorating with a modern table lamp.

Lamps are such such an important component of your interior layout because of their function as well as their appearance. When illuminated they accentuate textures by casting shadows and reflections, the shades take on a different color, and the illuminated lamp (light bulb) changes the color of the walls, fabrics and floor coverings. For task lighting ideally the bottom of the lamp shade should be about 40 to 42″ off the floor, so the measurement from the base of the shade plus the table height= seated eye height of around 40″. Or, in other words, the lower the table the taller the lamp. For reading in bed the bottom of the shade should be approximately 20″ above the mattress.

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Posted in: Accessories