As darker evenings creep in, living rooms across Britain chase warmer light and tidier corners without losing precious space.
Shoppers have zeroed in on a budget-friendly floor lamp from Dunelm that puts storage and soft light in one neat pillar, aiming to calm clutter and brighten corners in the same move.
What the shelved floor lamp brings into the room
Dunelm’s Jakob Shelved Floor Lamp pairs a fabric-shaded top light with a slender metal frame and tiered shelves. The idea is simple. The lamp earns its footprint by holding books, a plant or your brew, while lifting a warm glow above sofa height. It suits renters and owners who want change without drilling or bulky furniture.
£50 brings a 1.5m-tall lamp, three colourways and shelves that turn wasted legroom into useful storage.
The design sits taller than a side table and slimmer than a bookcase. It aims to anchor a corner without blocking sight-lines. You can tuck it by the sofa, slide it beside a bay window or double up to frame a feature wall.
Space-saving in plain sight
Most floor lamps only light. This one multitasks. The built-in shelves occupy space the pole would waste. Small homes gain a landing spot for a paperback, a coaster and a trailing ivy. Larger rooms gain a tidy focal point that settles the eye.
The shade softens glare for evening TV, bedtime stories or work calls. You get a cosier feel without chasing table lamps around sockets.
Key details at a glance
- Price: £50 at Dunelm
- Height: just over 1.5m for room-height presence
- Cable length: 2m to reach awkward sockets
- Switch: foot-operated for quick on/off
- Colours: cream, gold, black
- Style: slim metal frame, fabric shade, minimal lines
- Use cases: reading nook, entryway, home office, rental-friendly upgrades
Place one beside the sofa for reading. Use a pair to light an alcove. Let the shelves host photos or greenery.
Price, colours and where it fits
At £50, the Jakob model lands in an accessible bracket for a statement piece. The cream version warms neutral rooms and Scandi schemes. Gold introduces a subtle lift to darker paint. Black draws a crisp outline that suits industrial or monochrome palettes. Each option keeps the frame slim, so the lamp reads as light furniture rather than bulky storage.
The foot switch means no reaching under the shade. The 2m cable helps if your only free socket sits behind the TV stand. The whole format works for a rented flat where a wall light isn’t an option. Move it when you move. No holes, no mess.
How shoppers are using it this season
Customers call it a strong buy for the price and highlight easy styling with existing furniture. Many describe it as a “finishing touch” that ties a room together without a full redesign. The lamp often replaces a side table, clearing floor clutter while keeping a cup, phone and remote within reach.
Small-home maths
One footprint, two functions, three colourways. It solves a familiar winter puzzle: where to put the light and where to put the stuff. The shelves carry the daily bits that normally roam. The shade lifts light to eye level, which softens evening glare and avoids harsh ceiling pools.
| Where to place it | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Beside the sofa arm | Reading-height glow with a shelf for your book and mug |
| In a bay window | Backlights plants and frames curtains without bulky tables |
| Home office corner | Adds ambient light for video calls and a perch for notebooks |
| Hallway or landing | Welcomes guests and holds keys or a small tray |
Set-up tips that make a difference
Pick a warm-white LED bulb around 2700K for cosy evenings. If you read often, try a high-CRI LED to improve text contrast. Aim the lamp so the shade sits just behind your shoulder to avoid reflections on screens and glasses.
Cable management helps. Run the lead along the skirting and use adhesive clips to keep it tidy. If you have young children or pets, place heavier items on the lower shelf to keep the centre of gravity down. Avoid overloading the top shelf with heavy ceramics.
Use a 6–8W LED. Four hours a night over a month draws roughly 0.72–0.96 kWh, or about 17–23p at 24p/kWh.
Layering the light
Combine the floor lamp with one ceiling light on a dim level for depth. The shaded glow fills shadows while the ceiling light keeps colours true. If you own two Jakob lamps, place them asymmetrically to avoid showroom symmetry and to guide the eye across the room.
Why this design lands now
Energy costs still focus minds. A single LED bulb trims consumption compared with multiple table lamps. Homes also lean toward pieces that work hard: shelving, storage and lighting in one. As rain sets in and daylight fades by late afternoon, corners start to matter again. A single, tall anchor with warm light can pull a room together without new paint or larger furniture spends.
The lamp’s minimal frame also helps in mixed-style homes. It sits against traditional panelling without shouting. It lines up with modern sofas without clashing. That neutrality lets accessories carry character: a textured vase, a photo, a small stack of paperbacks.
What to check before you buy
- Measure the gap between sofa and wall to ensure the shelves slide in comfortably.
- Confirm the nearest socket distance; a 2m cable solves many, not all, placements.
- Decide which colour complements your hardware: cream for warmth, gold for a soft highlight, black for definition.
- Choose the right bulb brightness. Around 470–800 lumens suits reading and ambient tasks.
- Plan your shelf contents. Mix function and decor to avoid visual clutter.
Extra ideas to get more from one lamp
Use the lower shelf as a charging station with a compact cable tidy and a short USB extension. Add a small tray to catch keys and rings. If you work from the sofa, keep a notebook and pen on the middle shelf so the coffee table stays clear. For festive months, wind a short micro-light string around a plant on the shelf and let the shade carry the main glow.
If you like periodic refreshes, switch shelf objects by season: succulents and linen coasters in spring, a stacked hardback and amber glass in autumn. The frame stays the same while the look shifts, which stretches value across the year.
One footprint, two jobs: storage you use every evening and light that calms the room at dusk.
For households juggling tight floor plans, this lamp shows how a small structural tweak—the shelves in the leg space—can change daily habits. It cuts trips to the coffee table, frees a side table you never loved and softens a corner that felt stark. Pair it with a low-energy bulb and a tidy cable run, and you gain a dependable winter companion at a price that keeps upgrades realistic.
Love the idea of storage baked into a lamp—finally somewhere to park the remote and a paperback. At £50 this is definately on my shortlist.
Is it stabl with a plant on the top shelf? My cat is… ambitious.