A plain ceramic lamp is easy. This one earns its character from the surface.

The deeply dimpled, hand-pressed stoneware and softly speckled glaze give the base a studio pottery quality a smooth finish cannot match. Each indentation holds a little shadow and highlight, so the base reads differently as light moves across the room and shifts again once the lamp is lit. The glaze fades to a raw white foot that grounds it with an earthy, unglazed finish.

The oatmeal linen shade, woven with subtle slubs and flecks, softens and warms the glow into a gentle ambient light. Substantial in the hand at 3.2kg, the Ashby feels considered and grounded, as happy switched off as a sculptural object as it is lit. Pair it with other pieces from our table lamps and lighting collection for a warm, layered scheme.

Height 48cm, shade diameter 30cm. That height suits a bedside table where you want the light to fall just above shoulder level when sitting up, and it holds its own on a console or sideboard alongside taller pieces.

On a narrow bedside of less than 35cm the shade will overhang slightly, so allow a little more depth if you can. For a pair either side of a bed, 30cm each means they will not crowd the space on most standard bedside tables.