Enter the shag-swathed living room of the salesman, the minimal nicotined walk-up of the hipster, the paint-stained hardwood of the artist, any boardroom, suburban den, or the most tedious of governmental offices. You will be struck immediately by the shadowy contours, shapes, and angles that give each room its personality. At the epicenter of it all is the lamp.

Not the obtrusive, "hey-look-at-me" overhead, vase-like ceramic table item, or spindly Tensor reading light. Rather, I speak of the solid singularity of that beacon known as the "floor lamp". Looking slimly sensual and razor-sharp in brass or brushed chrome, the floor lamp stands ready to greet the entrant with efficiency and character. Its beam unfolds like an orchid, spreading illuminations of illusion throughout the room.

Purists would eschew the three-way bulb, feeling that this places such statuesque beauty in the company of the rheostats and track lighting that the nouveau riche find so appealing. The glow of a floor lamp, they feel, has a personality all its own, and to vary it would be akin to lucent schizophrenia. While I understand this view, I feel that it is too dogmatic and somewhat misses the point. The floor lamp is the master of ceremonies of a room's atmosphere and as such may be entitled to change moods from time to time.

Begin by placing your floor lamp near the doorway. Observe the reach of its power and the accents that it creates. Does it suggest perkiness where unannounced affability would be more appropriate? Is the far end of the room threatening by virtue of its darkness? Is one drawn to the dust, the frayed rug, and the cracked paint?

Now, moving to a more center-oriented wall outlet (never use extension cords-the things are stylistic abominations and safety hazards as well), stand your lamp with the turnkey on your left (and, of course, the lampshade seam facing the wall) and away from any frame that may unnaturally reflect its light. You should now begin to notice a warmth and depth to the room as it becomes enveloped in an overall feeling of gentle mystery.

Such appealing ambience, you will find, allows the furniture to coax with subdued suggestion. Conversation will become relaxed, hors d'oeuvres will taste divine, and beverages will most certainly be full-bodied. Then cast a glance at the slender source of luminescence, and you will smile with appreciation and a light all your own.