Newel Post Lamp

Vanessa Weber Interior Design Expert

Vanessa is a New York-based designer specializing in architectural lighting. Whether you are planning an event, want to illuminate your backyard retreat or simply need advice on what lamp to purchase for your bedroom, Vanessa will be more than happy to share her knowledge and expertise.

Updated 07/04/2022

Staircases can be treacherous at night. Make yours a little safer with a newel post lamp. These lamps will light your way as you ascend the stairs without having to turn on excess lighting. They are extremely attractive and are a nice accent to your staircase. Available in many styles, check out this extensive collection and pick yours.

Buying Guide

Usually presented with an intricate sculpture, a newel post lamp can significantly improve the sophistication and luxurious feel of a room. Also, it's still a lamp and that means it can provide illumination.

Because of its advantages, the newel post lamp is still a desired fixture for many homeowners. If you are planning to get one for your home, you need to know how to find the right newel post lamp for your specific situation. To help you with that, this article is going to be a buying guide on this type of light source.

What are newel post lamps crafted from?

While there are newel post lamps that are crafted from wood or plastic, metal is by far the most popular. Hence, we’ll tackle or put more emphasis on metal newel post lamps.

A metal newel post lamp may come in the form of aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel or wrought iron.
An aluminum newel post lamp has the advantage of being more economical compared to stainless steel. It's also lightweight and rust resistant. On the downside, aluminum is not as strong and durable compared to steel. It also oxidizes, leaving a residue that is chalky and white in color.
Brass is a popular material for newel post lamps because of its gold-like appearance. And yet, it's an economical option, especially if you compare it to gold. However, brass is not known for its durability.
Copper is another commonly used material for crafting newel post lamps. One reason for this is because of its unique reddish-brown appearance. Copper also ages gracefully, making it more beautiful as time passes by. On the downside, copper oxidizes, leaving a greenish-blue chalky residue.
Stainless steel is generally more durable than all of the other metal variants listed in this article. It's able to resist rust, corrosion, and oxidation. This also means that stainless steel doesn't require a lot of maintenance. However, stainless steel is the most expensive metal type in this list.
Wrought iron generally means an iron that is hammered into shape. Because of how it's crafted, each item is slightly different as opposed to being mass produced. On the downside, wrought iron is very susceptible to rust.

What are the most commonly used finishes for newel post lamps?

A newel post lamp is typically crafted from metal, and the metal will come with a type of finish. For such kind of lamp, the most commonly used finishes are satin, polished, hammered, brushed and antiqued.

Satin finish comes with an appearance that is in between polished and matte.
Polished finish allows the newel post lamp to appear shiny.
Hammered finish will typically feature small indentations, giving the metal a nice texture.
Brushed finish will feature a smoother texture, but with faint brushstroke-appearance in the metalwork.
Antiqued is the most common finish for a newel post lamp. It makes the lamp appear as if it aged beautifully. Often, the metal undergoes tarnishing or darkening to achieve this appearance.

Remember the key points mentioned above as they will help you get started and filter out most of your choices.