Target's 07 College Floor Lamp By MatildaTheHun on Sep 26, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Decorating for college is tough. You don't have much money and you don't have much space (most of the time), but you're making your living environment…well, livable. Usually, college students end up decorating with thrift store stuff, IKEA, or (if their lucky) their parent's money. Lately, big-box stores like Target and WalMart have picked up on this need for moderately priced furniture pieces and put out their own lines of household stuff for college kids. The Target items, while a little more expensive then the WalMart items, tend to get you a little more bang for your buck –the pieces are more durable and nicer looking. One such item is the 07 College Floor Lamp, a nice looking and effective floor lamp that is well worth an extra 10 bucks.

This lamp is great for a lot of reasons. First off, it's very simple to put together. The pieces are all laced along the electric cord with the head of the lamp at the end. When you want to put it together, you just pull the end of the electric cord until all of the pieces meet. You screw them together, and there's your lamp. It won't take you more then 5 minutes to put together, even if you're not exactly handy. Since most college students don't have much experience putting together furniture, the easy construction is a nice touch.

It's a well-made lamp. The base is made of quartz and very sturdy and heavy. It doesn't wobble or threaten to tip when you knock into it. There are no cheap plastic parts on this thing- everything is metal and fits together like a glove. The only plastic is in the lampshades, which are thick and durable. They can take a beating without getting broken, which is essential to college furniture.

Finally, the lamp just works great. It's upper shade directs light up and out in all directions, nicely illuminating a small room with a normal lightbulb. Two of these things could easily light a dorm room The smaller lamp can be directed towards things. If you have it next to a chair, it'll be a great reading lamp. It looks great, too: the sturdy construction and the stylish design work together to make a lamp that looks great and works even better.