This lamp fits in very well with our new modern living room furniture. My husband assembled it in about 10 minutes. We are using a three way bulb for maximum flexibility. The wood is a bit darker than it looks in the photo and we read the other reviews so we knew that, as we wanted darker. The shade is not a bright or pure white, but not too far off that. The photo advertising the lamp appears to be a darker natural or off white. I would say it leans more to the whiter end of the spectrum. We are very happy with the lamp.