Nile Wood Floor Lamp | Linen Shade

A 52cm shade needs clearance. Do not tuck it into a tight gap.

Beside a sofa or an armchair, the bottom of the shade should sit at roughly eye level when you are seated, so the bulb is not in your sightline. At 150cm overall this works for most standard seating.

Allow for the shade, not the base. The base is narrow but the shade reaches 52cm across, so leave at least 30cm of clear space either side. Pushed against a wall the shade will foul it.

Check the height under a sloping ceiling, in a loft room or under a staircase. 150cm plus clearance is more than it sounds when the ceiling drops.

7.6kg is a good weight for a floor lamp. Heavy enough to stay put in a room with children or animals, light enough to move when you rearrange.

The base is furniture, not a stand.

Most floor lamps sit on a thin metal pole with a disc at the bottom, and they read as equipment. This one has a sculpted cone base in solid rubberwood, tapering from a broad foot up to the neck, so it has the presence of a turned object rather than a support.

The smooth natural finish shows the grain rather than covering it under paint or a heavy lacquer. Rubberwood is a dense, pale hardwood with a fine, even grain, and it takes a clear finish well.

That combination is what makes it versatile. Pale timber and natural linen sit in almost any scheme, modern, Scandinavian, coastal or rustic, without either element demanding a matching one elsewhere in the room.

The linen shade diffuses light warmly and lets a little through the weave itself, softening the edge of the light pool rather than cutting it hard. At 52cm it is generous, which spreads that light further than a narrow shade would.

• A sculpted solid wood base rather than a metal pole on a disc
• Smooth natural finish that shows the grain rather than hiding it
• 52cm linen shade, generous enough to spread light across a corner
• 150cm tall, which puts the shade above eye level when seated
• 7.6kg, stable in a busy room and still movable
• Pale timber and linen, which sit in almost any scheme
• Standard E27 fitting, so bulbs are easy to find and cheap to replace
• Simple assembly with instructions included

It takes an E27 screw fitting, the standard large screw bulb, up to a maximum of 40W. A bulb is not included, which means you choose the light rather than inheriting it.

The 40W cap matters here. That is lower than most floor lamps allow, so this is an ambient light rather than a reading light. If you want to read by it, position it close to the chair rather than reaching for a brighter bulb than the fitting permits.

Go warm. 2400K to 2700K. Anything cooler makes pale timber look grey and a linen shade look washed out. It is the cheapest decision on this page and the one that matters most.

A note on LED wattage. The 40W maximum refers to traditional bulbs. An LED drawing 5W to 7W gives roughly equivalent light and runs far cooler, and it lets you get closer to the useful upper end of that range safely.

Go dimmable if the socket or a plug-in dimmer allows it. A floor lamp turned low in the evening is the single most useful light in a living room.

The rule our stylists use. A table lamp, something at floor level, and an overhead you rarely switch on. A floor lamp is the one most people leave out, and it is what stops a room feeling like an office in the evening.

Behind an armchair, beside a sofa or in the corner of an open plan space where the ceiling fitting does nothing. That is where a floor lamp earns its keep.

Pale timber and linen both want texture in the room. A basket, a jute rug or a woven chair alongside stops a neutral corner reading flat.

A 52cm shade needs room to breathe, and light thrown against a wall from 10cm away is wasted. Pull it out so the shade sits clear.

A floor lamp and a table lamp at different heights in the same corner is more useful than either alone, and it is what makes an evening room feel layered rather than lit.

Dust the base along the grain with a soft dry cloth. A barely damp cloth on a mark, dried straight after, and nothing abrasive on a natural finish.

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.

Mind the shade in passing. A 52cm shade at this height sits at shoulder level, so position it where sleeves and bags do not brush past it.

Check the cable route. A floor lamp's cable crosses open floor, so run it behind furniture or along a skirting rather than through a walkway.

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

What to expect. Grain and tone vary across a natural timber base, so yours will not match the photograph exactly. Keep it out of prolonged direct sun, which lightens timber unevenly.

It ships boxed in sections with the shade packed separately, and assembly is simple with instructions included. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Not sure whether it suits the corner you have in mind? Send us the measurements and we will tell you honestly. 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.