Wenlock Two-Tone Ceramic Table Lamp

A large lamp. 50cm across the shade needs a surface to match.

Check the depth of your surface. A shade this wide will overhang a narrow console, so you want at least 40cm of depth, ideally more, or it sits proud of the front edge.

Check the height above it. On a 75cm console the top of the shade lands at around 145cm from the floor. Under a low shelf, a wall-mounted mirror or a sloping ceiling, measure first.

On a bedside it will be tall. That can look striking in a large bedroom, but on a compact bedside it dominates. For most bedsides, a lamp of 45cm to 60cm suits better.

Beside a chair for reading, the bottom of the shade wants to sit at roughly eye level when seated, around 100cm to 110cm from the floor. On a low side table this reaches that comfortably.

Two glazes on one body, and a pair of handles at the shoulder.

The upper body carries a glossy cream glaze that catches the light, while the lower half is a matt chalk white with a finer, almost sandy texture. The two meet in a horizontal line across the belly of the form, and that division is what gives the lamp depth. A single glaze at this scale reads as a shape; two reads as a piece of pottery.

The two small handles at the shoulder do the rest. They reference an olive jar or a water vessel, something made to be carried, which is a very different character from a decorative base.

The form itself is a generous rounded urn, swelling out from a narrow foot and drawing in at the neck. It has weight and presence a cylindrical lamp cannot achieve.

A natural linen shade above it, which diffuses light warmly and lets a little through the weave itself, softening the edge of the light pool rather than cutting it hard.

Because the glazes are applied and fired, the position of the horizon line and the depth of tone vary slightly between pieces, so yours will not match the photograph exactly.

• Two glazes on one base, glossy cream above matt chalk white
• Small shoulder handles, giving it the character of an olive jar
• A rounded urn form with presence a cylinder cannot achieve
• Natural linen shade for a warmer, softer diffusion than synthetic
• 70cm tall, generous enough to hold a console on its own
• Pale neutral throughout, working with timber, rattan, stone and linen
• Standard E27 fitting, so bulbs are easy to find and cheap to replace
• Buy two for symmetry on a long sideboard, or one to anchor a corner

This matters more than anything else on this page. A warm bulb at 2400K to 2700K, maximum 60W. Cool white light on a cream and white glaze turns the whole lamp grey and drains the warmth out of the linen at the same time.

A pale lamp against a pale wall disappears. Against a deeper olive, sage or charcoal wall the silhouette and the glaze line both read properly, and the lamp looks deliberate rather than default.

Two matching lamps at either end of a long console or sideboard frames the surface and gives you low warm light from two points rather than one.

The matt lower half and the linen shade both want something rough nearby. A basket, a timber surface or a jute rug stops a neutral corner reading flat.

A lamp this size needs space around it. Crowding it with small objects makes both look worse. One low bowl or a stack of books is enough.

It takes an E27 screw fitting, the standard large screw bulb, up to a maximum of 60W. A bulb is not included, which is normal at this level and means you choose the light rather than inheriting it.

Go warm. 2400K to 2700K. Anything cooler makes a cream glaze look grey and a linen shade look washed out. This is the single most important decision you will make about this lamp, and it costs a few pounds.

Go dimmable if the socket or a plug-in dimmer allows it, since a lamp this size is at its best turned low in the evening.

On brightness, 400 to 600 lumens is usually right for ambient light from a lamp this size. Higher and you are lighting a task rather than a room.

A note on LED wattage. The 60W maximum refers to traditional bulbs. An LED drawing 8W to 10W gives roughly equivalent light and runs far cooler, which is the sensible choice inside a ceramic base.

The glossy upper half takes a soft dry cloth, or barely damp on a mark, dried straight after.

The matt lower half shows marks differently. A matt glaze holds fingerprints less than gloss but shows a scuff as a lighter mark. Nothing abrasive on either surface.

Never use water or cleaning spray on the linen shade. Water marks a fabric shade permanently. A soft dry brush, a lint roller or a hairdryer on the cool setting is all it needs.

Switch off and let the bulb cool before changing it or cleaning near the shade.

Lift it by the body, not the handles. They are a decorative reference rather than structural carrying handles.

Interior rooms only. IP20 means no protection against moisture, so not a bathroom or a conservatory that gets condensation.

What to expect. The position of the glaze line and the depth of tone vary slightly between pieces, which is the character of a fired glaze rather than a fault.

Your lamp ships packed to protect the ceramic in transit. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Send us the depth and height of the surface you have in mind and we will tell you honestly whether it suits. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right once it is in the room, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Lighting a hotel or a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.