For the Love of Lamps

I was catching up with my friend Kim yesterday and read her post about buying her first lamp. Yes, her first lamp. Kim is great at lots of things, like growing a fantastic garden and sewing cute bags and the progress she and her husband Ryan are making renovating their second house makes me look like a sloth. But she is mystifed by lamps, which is mystifying to me because I love them.

I had the one above, and its mate, for at least two years before we bought the sofa they now sit next to. They lived in my closet for a year after I bought them for $17 each on sale at KMart -- they are of the old Martha Stewart Everyday collection.


She asked her readers to leave a comment with how many lamps they owned. I counted ten in my house, and actually thought for a moment that that number sounded a little low. Until I read the rest of the comments. Many people were in the 3-5 range, and there was just one more double-digit lamp owner like me. So who exactly is in the minority here?

This pair of antique/vintage murano lamps were kind of a splurge for me ($120 for the pair, I think) but I fell in love with them and Wes gave them to me for my birthday. I have just recently found shades to fit, though I think I still need a smaller harp. I hope we will have these forever.



I've heard it said that lamps can be the jewelry of a room and that they can really update a room, and I think that both are true. I always notice a great lamp in a room or in a photo. I also love to use a pair of lamps (on either side of a sofa or bed, or just on a long piece of furniture like a dresser, console table, or buffet) because it's a simple way to introduce symmetry, which can give a room a more finished look. I'm also a big fan of NOT using overhead lights on full-blast (dimmers are your friend!), and just generally think that lamps offer more flattering light (both to you and the room). I could go on an on about lamps, but I'd rather hear from you -- how many lamps do you have?

This lamp is my most recent acquisition. Again, it was love at first sight when I saw it on a blogger's Craig's List round-up, and I immediately e-mailed the seller to see if he was interested in shipping it to me from Minneapolis. I think he thought I was crazy, but it was totally worth it!