Welcome to Someone Buy This!, a monthly shopping column featuring the fun, the frivolous, and the practical from a very discerning shopper.
Cordless lamps are the unsung heroes of home decor. They liberate your living space from the tyranny of tangled cords, offering the freedom to place light where it’s most needed, not just where you have an outlet. Imagine the thrill of setting up a cozy reading nook without having to wrestle with power strips or engage in a delicate—and likely not fire safe—dance with extension cords. Here are some areas in your home that could benefit from some cordless light, and the best lamps for the job.
Light up your dining table or kitchen countertop
Whether you’re setting a romantic dinner or just want your kitchen to look like it’s always ready for a chic soirée, these cordless wonders let you light up your space with the kind of effortless charm that makes other lamps look, well, a bit dim.
Do you recognize this stylish petit lamp? If so, you could be experiencing déjà vu! We’ve stripped down Fatboy Edison the Petit to give you Fatboy Transloetje. What’s in the name? We wanted to create a TRANSparent version of Edison the Petit.
The Fatboy Transloetje cordless lamp is your dining table’s new best friend—a nice middle ground between turning on the Big Light and loading your table up with candles. I use the Transloetje on my dining table and love the warm 360-degree glow made possible by the lamp’s tinted, transparent shell.
Pooky Lillee Cordless Table Lamp
A delightfully simple design, but endlessly lovely, and finished in a beautiful hot pink gloss lacquer. And critically…cordless. The Genesis cell (supplied with the lamp) has at least 15 hours of charge and a handy little remote. Meet the future.
Kitchen counter lamps are practically a celebrity house tour staple. While the rich and famous flaunt grand, sculptural lamps that seem to have their own zip code, the rest of us have to think a bit smaller. Enter the Lillee lamp by Pooky—a cordless wonder that’s both bold and trim, perfect for those of us working with more modest countertop real estate. It’s the kind of lamp that manages to be a statement piece without requiring a ton of space. Tuck it into a corner, and bam: you’ve instantly elevated your kitchen’s look.
For your walls
Pooky Helios Cordless Wall Sconce
Our ever popular Helios light goes cordless! No more digging wires into walls and calling round the electrician…just a couple of tiny screws, which even the most DIY-challenged of us can muster! Pop off the front, which is attached by a strong magnet to charge.
Cordless sconces are a lifesaver for renters. They’re a breeze to install and don’t require a degree in electrical engineering—no wiring, no fuss. While they might not light up a room like their wired cousins, they’re perfect for brightening up a dark hallway or bedroom with minimal effort. This circular wall sconce, for example, bounces light back onto the wall, making it a great choice for illuminating a shadowy entryway.
Classic LED Battery Powered Picture Light
Bathe your art in the warm light offered by our LEDs without fear of damaging your priceless pieces. Unlike halogen and incandescent lights, LED lights offer unlimited brightness without any effect on your pictures and paintings.
And let’s not forget the rechargeable picture light—a personal favorite for showcasing your art collection without the hassle of drilling holes. It’s the secret to achieving that gallery vibe while keeping your walls as pristine as your aesthetic aspirations.
For vibes
Waterproof, shockproof, cordless, and rechargeable, the Ball Portable LED Lamp (2009) redefines how we think about light. Suited for use practically anywhere, it has three modes to choose from: static in one of four colors, dynamic with unlimited colors changing automatically, and candle effect.
I’m not embarrassed to admit that 25 percent of the lamps in my apartment exist for one reason: vibes. And honestly, that’s their best role. Take my favorite, the floor globe. It’s got that retro appeal, reminding me of those vintage egg-shaped Murano glass floor lamps—except, you know, it doesn’t come with the hefty price tag. Sure, it won’t actually light up a room in any functional way, but who needs to see clearly when it looks this good perched on a high-pile rug or next to your bar cart? Bonus points: it’s waterproof, can be set to any color, and runs for 8 to 12 hours depending on how intense you want your glow.
With a distinctive domed shape in polished plated steel in a range of finishes, the Bell Portable Lamp from British designer Tom Dixon lets you bring smartly designed lighting outdoors or move from room to room (or spots without outlets) with cordless ease.
If you’re looking to lean into something a bit more dramatic, let me introduce you to the chrome lamp of my dreams. This sleek beauty has a fully opaque shade that casts a gorgeously moody downlight on whatever surface you choose to grace with its presence. It’s the kind of lighting that makes you feel like you’re in a Bond movie. Chrome just belongs near speakers—don’t ask me why, it just does—so I’d park this lamp next to a record player or turntable stand. You’ll have a corner that practically hums with midcentury-modern coolness, no effort required.
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