I purchased this lamp in charcoal with the white shade, however, the lamp is a brownish color.  I called customer service upon receiving the lamp to question the color and in fact I had received the so called "charcoal" lamp. I had been expecting that charcoal meant it would look somewhat blackish in color....not brown...even the cord is brown!  At any rate, I kept the lamp because it looks great, even though it wasn't what I had expected.  I already own one in clear with the white shade (my favorite!).  The lamp itself is great, I love the dimmer switch that is attached to the cord, the lamp looks amazing when you have it with a soft glow! Overall, I love the lamp and would have given it 5 stars if it had in fact been charcoal.  As an additional note, the customer service was exceptional, specifically Aaron who assisted me.