Nocturna Cordless Rechargeable Table Lamp

The owner's take on the Nocturna

I keep a Nocturna on the kitchen bench and it earns its spot. It is a small cordless table lamp, about 38 cm tall on a slim aluminium stem, with a short curved shade that pushes light down onto the surface and the person next to it rather than across the room. Lift it off its base and there is no cord to manage. One tap on the shade turns it on, and holding your finger there dims it smoothly to a low glow. The light is warm, 2700K to 3000K, closer to candlelight than a ceiling fitting. A charge lasts a full evening with room to spare.

Where it is not the right tool: close, detailed work needs a proper task lamp, and the small shade means one Nocturna lights one zone. For a bedside table, a reading chair or a dinner table it is nicely judged. To light a whole lounge you would want two or three.

Why you will love the Nocturna

• No cord, just a charging base. Carry it from the nightstand to the table to the balcony without finding a power point or trailing a cable.
• Touch dimming in the shade. One tap on, hold to dim. Set it low for the evening without reaching for a switch.
• Warm 2700K to 3000K light. Close to candlelight, so it reads as calm rather than clinical in a bedroom or over dinner.
• Steady on a busy surface. An 11 cm foot under a 38 cm lamp keeps it upright when the table fills up, and it still lifts with one hand.
• IP54 rated. Shrugs off dust and a light splash, so it is fine on a covered balcony or an outdoor table for the night.
• Six finishes, one price. White, Sand, Rust, Dark Grey and Sage sit back into a room. Chrome is the one guests pick up and ask about.

Why a cordless designer lamp is worth it

This is the slim Poldina silhouette you have seen on restaurant tables, in a cordless format and at a fraction of the mains-wired designer price. Because it runs on a low-voltage battery, it also skips the 240V electrical approval that holds up a lot of imported plug-in lamps at the Australian border. You get the shape, the warm light and the freedom to set it down anywhere, backed by our 60-day guarantee.

Nocturna cordless table lamp specifications

Is the Nocturna bright enough to read by?

For a book in a chair, yes, as long as you set it close. At up to 200 lumens the light is soft and short-range, meant for atmosphere and comfortable reading rather than lighting a desk. For bright white light on detailed work, a dedicated task lamp is the better choice. Turned down low, the Nocturna doubles as a bedside light you can read by without waking the room.

How long does the battery last?

A full charge gives about nine hours at a usable brightness, and noticeably more when you keep it dim. Runtime falls as you turn the brightness up, so the nine hour figure is a middle setting rather than the best case. Most people settle into a phone-style habit: the lamp sits on its base through the day and comes off at night. We go through the wider trade-offs of rechargeable lamps in our guide to the best cordless table lamps in Australia.

Where does the Nocturna work best?

On a bedside table, with no cord behind the headboard. Beside a reading chair as the middle layer of light between a ceiling fitting and a floor lamp. Down the centre of a dining table, one lamp for every two or three settings, in place of candles. On a covered balcony for a warm evening, which the IP54 rating allows. It is the wrong pick for lighting a whole open-plan room on its own.

See the full range in the Cordless & Rechargeable collection. If you want something smaller and more candle-like, look at the Vela. Not sure which finish suits your room? Email us and we will talk it through. Shipping is free across Australia on orders over $99. The 60-day guarantee covers any damage or fault, and change-of-mind returns are accepted within 30 days.