Design Morsels

  • Decorating By Room
    • Decorating Bedrooms On A Budget
    • Decorating Bathrooms On a Budget
    • Decorating Your Living Room On A Budget
    • Decorating Outdoors On A Budget
  • Decorating Tips
    • Guide to Rugs
    • Guide to Buying Lighting
    • Guide to Window Treatments
    • Holiday or Seasonal Decor
    • DIY Projects On A Budget
  • Color Palettes
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Resources

Finding Deals on Lighting

Amazon Home Decor Items· Guide to Buying Lighting

6 Apr

Did you know when a realtor shows your house they turn on every single light? That’s because most rooms need more light than they have. Every room should have three sources of light.

First I should say, this is NOT a sponsored post. It’s not my goal to get you to buy this lamp. It’s my goal for you to consider that you can find good home decor on Amazon, for a steal in many cases, if you can narrow your search enough.

When I’m shopping for a lamps I normally look at Target, Pottery Barn or Ballard Designs. The last place I think to look is Amazon. To my surprise, I found tons of retailers with brick and mortar stores selling home decor on Amazon. Amazon is making it easier with their new “like or dislike for instant recommendations”. See how it works below.

Most homes or apartments can ALWAYS use more lighting, but lamps and chandeliers can be pricey. A single lamp can be hundreds of dollars. I found a great lamp on Amazon for $32.50 from Ashley Furniture!

How To Choose A Lamp

Before shopping for lamps it’s important to narrow down what you want. I use these five criteria.

1.) Light Bulb Size – I only buy lamps that accommodate a 100 watt bulb. Anything lower than that doesn’t provide enough light to be worth plugging in. Be sure to check the lamp because they have to state what size bulb they are meant to work with, you can’t just plug a 100 watt bulb into any lamp.

2.) Type of Shade – I prefer the way fabric shades look and how they filter the light. Shades can be expensive. I only buy lamps that include a shade, preferably white or off white. It can be hard to purchase a shade that is the right shape and size for the lamp if you purchase them separately. Shades that connect to the bulb instead of attaching to the harp are no good.

3.) Style – The style of lighting should complement your home. If your home is modern, get lamps that go with that style. My stuff is pretty “transitional” if I had to put a name on it. That means a mix of traditional and modern. When I shop for a lamp, I look for something that has simple clean lines so it can go with anything.

4.) Size – I prefer larger lamps. A lamp must be at least 27 inches tall. Anything smaller for the living room looks mini because I have ten foot ceilings. Size can vary depending on where the lamp is going. A desk lamp used for specific tasks is often smaller.

5.) Finish – Lamps can be glass, wood (painted or stained), metal or porcelain. It looks more styled to choose a lamp that is a contrasting material to what the lamp is sitting on. For example, don’t put a brown wood lamp on a brown wood table. It looks better to have a porcelain or metal lamp on a wood surface.

Here is the lamp I found. I found two of them for $65 and free shipping.

Amazon home decor finds

You can see in the background another similar lamp that I already had. This is a close match style-wise.

Just to give you a taste of what’s available if you want something more modern, here are some other great deals.

  • Ravenna Blue base lamp with linen shade for $59
  • Ravenna blue and white lamp with shade for
  • This glass lamp from amazon can be filled with anything. You could even change the filling seasonally. It’s $99.
  • Fraisur mid century lamp for only $35
  • Rivet Gold lamp for $49
  • Industrial Reading lamp for $59

Amazon’s Like or Dislike Filter

The reason that Amazon sucks for buying home decor is because they have no way to narrow your search. Other niche websites have filters that change when you select a product category. (Does it sound like I shop too much online? )

For example, if I go to Wayfair, the king of filters, and search for lamps I can narrow my search by color, size, finish, style, etc.

You find better products on Amazon if you are very specific when you search. For example, I searched for “traditional black table lamp with shade”.

When you click on a lamp you like, there is now game-show style grid. See an example below. It takes the lamp you selected and shows you 10 lamps each with thumbs up or thumbs down. Every time you click the thumbs up or thumbs down it flips the selections to be closer to what you like.

This new like or dislike tool tells me the masterminds at Amazon are working on improving the search experience.


sample of Amazon's new like or dislike grid

Buying home decor on Amazon is getting easier and better. I have a love hate relationship with Amazon. I love free shipping, low prices and fast delivery. I hate searching for products because Amazon doesn’t make it easy.

Do you have your own Amazon home decor finds?

Finding inexpensive lighting


Share this:

  • Pinterest

1 Comment

Previous Post: « Guide to Round Top Flea Market
Next Post: Low Light Low Maintenance House Plants »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. 10 Guest Bedroom Essentials - Design Morsels says:
    July 26, 2019 at 11:51 am

    […] don’t have to be expensive. See this post about how to find deals on lamps. It isn’t necessary that the lamps be a matching […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Signup for Email Updates

Subscribe to get a free color palette consultation.  We will email you with details - but no spam!

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Meet Andrea

I am blogger with a 9to5 job. I like to work on my home on the weekends, one small affordable project at ta time. Read More…

Top Posts

2020 interior design trends

Do you like to see what’s new in interior design each year? You can get a preview of the latest design trends by looking at what was hot at the High Point Furniture Market. This is where designers go to see new furniture, lighting and decor in person before they order for clients. Sometimes looking … Read More about Interior Design Trends for 2020

Share this:

  • Pinterest

Are you hosting a meal this holiday season? By the time I get around to decorating the table for Christmas I am usually feeling pretty tapped. Despite what you see on Instagram, it IS possible to decorate your table at Christmas for $10 or less and still have it look festive and beautiful. My philosophy … Read More about Simple Christmas Table Setting for $10

Share this:

  • Pinterest
jute rugs

Are you thinking about buying a natural fiber rug? There are many natural fiber rugs, sea grass, jute, hemp, abaca and sisal. Jute is the softest under your feet, and I think the best. Some people are reluctant to buy a natural fiber rug because they don’t know what it is. Will it smell? How … Read More about Jute Rugs: What is Jute? Are Jute Rugs Soft?

Share this:

  • Pinterest
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2019 · Refined theme by Restored 316