Manufacturer: Flos | Designer: Philippe Starck, 2013

The Bibliothèque Nationale is a floor lamp and a bookshelf in one. Named after the great Parisian library, it has a polished stainless steel bracket system built into the rod that holds books at reading height — a piece of quiet wit from Starck that makes it as useful as it is considered. The chrome-plated zinc base also conceals a USB charging port, so the lamp, the books, and the phone can all live in the same spot.

The external diffuser is available in four finishes, each giving the lamp a distinct quality of light and appearance: Transparent (clear methacrylate), Fumé (smoke-grey methacrylate), Aluminised Bronze (vacuum aluminium-coated methacrylate, bronze finish), and Soft (PVC fabric). All share the same chrome-plated zinc base, rod, and opal internal diffuser.

• Base, rod & diffuser stand: Chrome-plated die-cast zinc
• Base cover: Zinc-plated P04 steel sheet
• Internal diffuser & lamp-holder stand: Opal injection-moulded polycarbonate
• Upper ring: Clear injection-moulded polycarbonate
• Brackets: Polished stainless steel
• External diffuser: PVC fabric (Soft) | clear methacrylate (Transparent) | smoke-grey methacrylate (Fumé) | vacuum aluminium-coated methacrylate, bronze (Aluminised Bronze)
• Dimensions: H1500 × Ø400mm (shade)
• Light source (not included): LED 21W E27, 2452lm
• USB charging: 5VDC, max 2A — integrated into base