CONSOLE TABLE LAMPS

Height and a solid base. A console stands against the wall, so the lamp has to rise above what sits on it. Ours run from compact alabaster lamps of about 24 centimetres for a narrow hall table to travertine lamps of 63 centimetres for a long sideboard. For more height on other surfaces, see the large table lamps.

They plug in. Each lamp has a two metre cord with a plug and an on and off switch in the cord, so it can reach a socket behind the furniture. If there is no socket nearby, look at the rechargeable table lamps.

Most of these lamps take a standard E27 bulb, which is not included, so you choose the brightness and colour yourself. A warm white LED bulb gives the calmest light on a sideboard. The fitting is listed on every product page.

Alabaster, marble, travertine, wood with a fabric shade, and metal. Stone gives the lamp weight and stability on a narrow surface; wood and fabric make it lighter to look at.

Alabaster is a natural stone that lets light through. Every piece differs in colour, veining and how much light it shows, so no two lamps are the same. More of them are under alabaster lamps.

Anywhere the lamp stands against a wall and a socket is close: a hall table, a dresser, a desk or a sideboard in the dining room. The taller models also suit a side table next to a sofa.

They switch on and off with the switch in the cord. If you want to dim, the rechargeable table lamps dim with a touch, from candlelight to reading light.

Then choose a rechargeable lamp. For stone, the Rijks Collection; for a shade of real alabaster, the Levora Collection; for wood, the Nordic Collection.