Floor lamp, arc lamp, reading light. The arm curves out 39 inches from a heavy round marble base, so the lamp stands behind a sofa or an armchair and puts its light in front of you instead of over your shoulder. That is the whole point of an arc lamp: light where a side table would have to be, without the side table.

The shade is closed black metal and faces straight down. It lights the page, the table or the floor, and nobody sitting opposite gets the bulb in their eyes. The arm is black iron and stands 70 inches tall at the top of the curve, which clears a sofa back and most armchairs. The marble base is 11.8 inches across and does real work: an arc lamp is a lever, and the weight at the foot is what keeps it upright when someone catches the arm with a knee.

A foot switch on the cord turns it on, so you do not have to reach up to the shade. It takes one standard bulb, which is not included, and a warm white bulb around 800 lumens is the usual choice for reading. It suits modern, mid century, industrial and contemporary rooms, and it is an indoor lamp.

• Type: arc floor lamp
• Base: marble, 11.8 in across (30 cm)
• Height: 70 in (179 cm)
• Reach: 39 in from base to shade (100 cm)
• Shade: black metal, 13.8 in wide, facing down (35 cm)
• Frame: black iron
• Fitting: one E26 socket, bulb not included
• Switch: foot switch on the cord
• Use: indoor