A mushroom lamp is easy to recognise. A domed shade sits on a slim stem, and the light spills down and out in a soft circle. The shape has been around since the 1960s and still looks fresh on a bedside table, a shelf or a dining table. Our first pieces are arriving from European makers.
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Buying guide
Mushroom lamps look simple, but small differences in material, size and power source change how they light a room. Here is what to look at before you buy.
The dome-on-a-stem silhouette became popular in Italian and Scandinavian design of the late 1960s and 1970s, when designers began working with opal glass, moulded plastic and lacquered metal. The shape has come back strongly in recent years, partly because it suits the rounded, softer furniture now in fashion, and partly because rechargeable versions have made it easy to move around the home.
Opal glass gives the softest light, glowing evenly through the whole dome, and it is the material most people picture first. Coloured or tinted glass adds a wash of colour to the table below, such as amber, smoke grey or green. Metal shades, often lacquered or brushed, are opaque, so the light only falls downwards and the lamp reads as a graphic shape in the room. Ceramic and stone bases add weight and texture. Plastic versions are lighter and less fragile, which makes sense in a child's room. Whatever the material, look at the lamp switched off as well as on, because a mushroom lamp is as much an object on the table as a source of light.
As with any table lamp, the bottom of the dome should sit around eye level when you are seated beside it, so the bulb stays out of sight.
A wired mushroom lamp takes a standard bulb, usually E14 or E27, or has an integrated LED, and gives steady, brighter light. A rechargeable mushroom lamp charges by USB, often USB-C, and runs for several hours on one charge depending on the brightness setting. It can move from the dining table to the bedside or out onto a balcony, and it is the easiest way to light a table in the middle of a room with no socket nearby. Check the stated runtime and whether the lamp can be used while charging.
Because the dome directs light downwards, these lamps create a pool of light rather than lighting the whole room. That is exactly why they work so well for atmosphere, but a mushroom lamp is not always enough on its own for reading. If you read in bed, choose a larger dome or a brighter bulb of 400 lumens or more, in warm white around 2,700 K. Touch dimmers, common on rechargeable models, let you turn it right down to a glow.
Some rechargeable models are rated IP44 or higher, which means they can stand on a garden table or a covered terrace. Wired lamps should stay indoors. Bring rechargeable lamps inside in heavy rain or frost, even when they are splash-proof.
Wipe glass domes with a soft, dry cloth once the lamp is cool. For fingerprints, a little warm water with washing-up liquid works, dried straight away. Avoid abrasive cleaners on lacquered metal, and check the cable now and then for wear.
The rounded shape suits the softer interiors now in fashion, the light is warm and flattering, and rechargeable versions can be moved from room to room without a socket.
Only rechargeable models with a suitable IP rating, usually IP44 or higher. Wired lamps should stay indoors, and even splash-proof ones are best brought in during heavy rain.
They give a pool of light rather than a focused beam. For reading, choose a larger dome and a bulb of 400 lumens or more.