Bedside Table Lamps

At 8¼ to 11 inches tall, these bedside table lamps fit a narrow nightstand and give a low, soft glow for winding down rather than a bright reading beam.

Height and what it means in bed

For reading in bed, the usual guide is a shade whose lower edge lands near chin height when you sit up against the headboard; on a nightstand level with the mattress top, that generally means a lamp of about 24 to 27 inches. The ten lamps here sit well below that line, so the light pools on the nightstand and stays under eye level from the pillow. If you read in bed, pair one with a taller lamp from our table lamps or a floor lamp beside the bed.

Seven of the ten have marble bases, and the shade sets the character of the light. Glass diffusers on the Foster, Harlow, Cranford, Fairfax and Blair glow evenly all round, while the fabric shades on the Savoy, Conrad, Nash and Essex send light down and out through the sides. The Riverton Stone Table Lamp, 6¾ inches across and 8¼ inches tall under a flat glass disc, is cordless with touch dimming, and the Nash Marble Table Lamp (7½ inches across, 10⅞ inches tall) switches by touch.

Where a lamp takes a bulb, a warm white around 2700K keeps the light restful at night. Six of these lamps belong to modern lighting and four to organic modern lighting, alongside taller lamps in the same looks; for more stone bases, see marble table lamps.