ULAROOM Mushroom Table Lamp

The details

• Material: amber glass with a vintage wavy pattern
• Power: battery-powered, cordless
• Timer: built-in 6 h / 18 h timer

Why we picked it

Amber glass does something to a room that clear glass and white shades can't manage. It makes three in the afternoon feel like eight in the evening, which in a north-facing apartment in February is worth a lot. The mushroom silhouette has been around since the seventies and still looks current. Because it runs on a battery, it goes wherever it looks best rather than wherever the wiring allows.

Styling notes

Give the glow something to bounce off. A pale wall behind it, a mirror beside it, or a stack of books underneath it all make the light go further than it does stranded in the middle of an empty surface. It works as a bedside lamp, but it's just as good on a bathroom shelf or a windowsill, and the cordless base means you can keep changing your mind. The 6 and 18 hour timers are there so you don't wake up at 3am to a lamp still burning.

Good to know

• The wavy glass casts a patterned light on the surface underneath it.
• Set the timer once and it handles switching itself off.