Arc floor lamps compared: which one reaches over your sofa?

An arc floor lamp puts light over a sofa or chair from a base set off to the side, so you get overhead-style light without a ceiling fixture or a side table. The number that matters most is reach: how far out the shade hangs from the base. Among Brightech's arc lamps, the Olivia reaches the farthest at 57 inches, enough to hang over the middle seat of most sofas and the corner of many sectionals. Height is not reach: the Trilage is the tallest at 84 inches, but its three arms rise more than they reach, up to 40 inches out. The Luna Drop has a short 14.5 inch reach and sits right beside a sofa arm.

How to measure for an arc lamp

1. Measure the reach you need. Measure from where the base will sit to the spot you want lit, usually the middle of the seat.
2. Check the heights. Measure the height of the sofa back. The shade should clear it, and the lamp should clear your ceiling. Every tall arc here, from the 75 inch Olivia and Lark to the 84 inch Trilage, needs a standard 8 foot ceiling or higher.
3. Leave floor space for the base. Marble bases are 12.5 to 15 inches across and are the counterweight, so they need to sit flat on the floor, not on a rug edge.

Reach over a sectional

For a sectional, set the base behind or beside the corner and let the arc carry the light over the corner seat. The Olivia's 57 inch reach suits this best. Shorter arcs work best at the end of a sofa, lighting the seat beside them.

Which arc lamp suits your room

• Olivia: the longest reach. At 57 inches, with a metal globe whose head adjusts, it suits a long sofa or the corner of a sectional. Chrome, Brass or Bronze.
• Logan: a softer, classic look. A 52 inch reach and a 17 inch linen drum shade that lights the seat and glows upward. Antique Brass, Black or Brass Pleated.
• Mason: reach you can set. At 81 inches, with an arm that extends up to 49 inches from the pole and a double linen shade. Best in large rooms with height.
• Trilage: three lights from one base. The tallest at 84 inches, with three arms that each adjust and spread up to 40 inches, and a knob that turns on one, two or all three lights. Made for big rooms, over a coffee table. Dark Bronze, Black or Brass.
• Lark: woven warmth, easy delivery. A 33 inch reach under a woven rattan shade that glows through its sides, on a 12 inch metal base. At 21 lbs it arrives in a box one person can carry. Brass or Black.
• Swoop: a reading chair lamp. Not a full arc but a curved arm that carries a pivoting metal shade 19.5 inches out. At 10.5 lbs it arrives in one compact box.
• Luna Drop: for tight spaces. A short 14.5 inch arc and a white glass globe that glows all around. It sits right beside a sofa arm, and one person can carry the box.

Why arc lamps are heavy

The marble base is a counterweight: it keeps the lamp upright with the shade hanging far out. That is why the Olivia weighs 33.9 lbs, the Logan 30.1 lbs, the Trilage 33.4 lbs and the Mason 50 lbs. It also means a large, heavy delivery. The Lark is the exception: a 12 inch metal base keeps it to 21 lbs and one compact box. Plan on two people or a flat furniture dolly or wheeled cart, and unpack the lamp where it will stand.