Table lamps are those lamps that sit on tables and floor lamps are lamps that stand on the floor. The majority of both types all have 3 way sockets and need 3 waylight bulbs although there are models that use regular incandescent bulbs, fluorescent bulbs, or halogen bulbs. Your standard table or floor lamp (not including the torchiere lamp) consists of two main parts; the lamp base, and the lamp shade held together with a
harp and a finial. The lamp base may come in many different styles, shapes, colors, finishes, and heights, most of which is chosen from a decorative point of view, just as important a choice as is your carpet color, or wall covering choices, the only functional consideration is that it holds the light bulb and the lamp shade at the height where their
needed.

The lamp shade also comes in many different styles, shapes, colors, sizes, and made of a number of different materials, sure a lot of this is chosen from a decorative point of view as well, but there are a few functional decisions to consider, for example; is the shade going to shade your eyes from the light, is it going to allow the light to shine through and upwards to light up the room , or is it going to allow ample light downwards to read with . To generally light up the room you want a shade with a wide top opening
and/or made with a light translucent material of a light color to let the light shine upwards and/or outwards. make sure that shades with wide top openings are of a height or in a position that the glare of the bulb out the top is not going to be in view. Shades that are used to read with are usually tapered to direct the light downwards, translucency and light colors are not of importance, they should have a white inside color but any color (including black) is fine for the outside of the shade. The bottom of the shade should be below eye level while sitting and the taper of the shade should be wide enough to throw the light on to your reading material.