I love this lamp. Directions to put together took me a few minutes to understand as they are on a very tiny piece of paper and not very descriptive. It was actually easier to put it together the way it made sense to me, without the picture itself. The light is a perfect addition to my living room. Perfect for reading on my couch but not bright enough to bother the rest of the family. You can put the shade on or keep it off. My kids liked it off, but I thought it was to bright so I keep the shade on. Oh, and the foot onoff switch was icing on the cake! Highly recommend this lamp!