An entryway table lamp is the first light you see when you come home and often the last you switch off. Set it on the console or chest by the door, choose a size that leaves room for keys, and favor a warm, low glow over bright light. It sets the tone of the house.
Why put a table lamp in the entryway?
Most entries are lit from the ceiling. A ceiling light is useful, but it flattens the space. A table lamp adds light at a lower level, closer to you, and makes the hall feel lived in.
It also changes how you arrive. In the evening, a lamp left on in the entry is a welcome. It shows the way without lighting the whole house. Many people keep it as the last light of the night, switched off on the way to bed.
The entry is a small room that everyone sees. Guests see it first. One lamp, chosen with care, says more there than a crowded wall.
Choosing a lamp for a hall console
Entry consoles are often narrow, because the hall is a passage. Measure the depth before anything else. The lamp should stand fully on the surface, with room in front of it for keys, a tray or the post.
- A narrow console. New Works, 13.8 inches tall with a 9.8-inch shade, fits a narrow console table.
- A console with some depth. Strates, 12.6 inches tall, has discs wider than its stem. Allow about 12 inches of clear surface.
- A chest or a wide console. Sillon, 18.9 inches tall with a 13.8-inch shade, holds its own under a painting.
Our console table lamps range from 11 to 19.7 inches tall, and each page gives the width of the lamp as well.
Think about the mirror too. Many entries have one above the console. A lamp beside a mirror is reflected in it, and its light seems to double. Set the lamp to one side of the glass rather than in front of it.
The light itself should be low and warm. A ceiling light is for finding keys. The lamp is for the moment you step in, or the moment you leave at night.
Cord or no cord by the door?
Entries are often short of outlets. The console stands where the hall allows, not where the wall has a socket. A cord running down the wall is the first thing you see as you come in.
There are two answers. If an outlet is close, a plug-in lamp can take a permanent place, with its cord kept behind a leg of the console. If not, a cordless lamp avoids the cable altogether.
Silex is one of our two rechargeable lamps. A tapered base of light beige travertine carries a wide dome of matte dark bronze. It gives about 12 hours of light per charge and recharges in about 6 hours. Its 3 W LED gives a warm amber light, cast down onto the stone.
For the arrangement around the lamp, read our notes on how to style a console table with a lamp.
From the collection
- New Works: dark reddish-brown marble under an opal white glass bowl, 13.8 inches tall. For a narrow hall console.
- Strates: two marble discs with the light concealed between them, 12.6 inches tall and 11.8 inches wide.
- Silex: travertine under a matte dark bronze dome, 11.8 inches tall. Cordless and rechargeable.
Questions
What size lamp suits an entryway console?
Start with the depth of the console, then its length. The lamp should stand fully on the surface and leave room in front for keys and post. On a narrow hall console, a slim lamp is easier to place; New Works has a 9.8-inch shade. A wide chest can take a taller lamp, such as Sillon.
Should the entryway lamp stay on all evening?
That is a matter of habit. Many people switch on the entry lamp at dusk and leave it on until bedtime, as a soft light for coming and going. With a plug-in lamp, a timer at the outlet can do this for you. Our rechargeable lamps give about 12 hours of light per charge.
Is a table lamp enough to light an entryway?
Usually not on its own. Our lamps give ambient light: they set the mood of the entry but do not replace a ceiling light when you look for keys or put on shoes. Use the lamp for arriving in the evening, and switch on the ceiling light when you need to see clearly.
To find the first light of your house, explore our console table lamps.