When you say vintage there is a specific meaning associated with the word. Anything made between the years 1920 and 1980 is called vintage; anything before that is called antique and after that is called contemporary. In this context however a vintage floor lamp doesn’t mean a lamp that is from the 1920s or 1960s. It just means that the lamp was designed according to designs from those days.
Floor lamps as such mean lamps that are kept on the floor. They are nothing but over-sized table lamps although if used correctly they look even better than one. For example if you are happy with the way your living room looks but want to install some other form of lighting that will give you a different effect for occasions, then using a floor lamp is one good option. Although there are a number of other things that you can do, the floor lamp looks nice, will not seem out of place even when not lit, and will create an entirely different environment when you want something like that.
There are very many different designs that you can choose from with the standard being the ones that look exactly like a magnified table lamp. The advantage of the modern day vintage floor lamp is that you not only get a yesteryear design, but you get a more modern take on it. If you think that this would spoil a very nice looking design, think again. Most of them are very pretty especially the ones with the tripod stand. They look just a little different and are more practical too because they have a firmer base on which they can stand; really good if you have small children or pets running round the house.
This may only be a very personal opinion, but the pseudo tiffany lamps are probably the most beautiful of the lot. The only problem with the tiffany table lamp is that it was too small and would very often look top heavy. On a floor lamp however, this is totally different and for the same price as a normal one you can get something that is a hundred times better looking.
As already mentioned this is only a personal opinion and if you are really not into tiffany lamps there are a number of other designs that you can look at. For example there are lamps that are designed like search lights and are seated on a swivel so that you can point it wherever you want to. You can point it at the ceiling and allow the room to be lit in a softer tone, or you can point it at the floor and have a brighter feel. You can even point it at a painting or paint one wall a different color and point the light at it. It will give the entire room the color of the wall and will do it in a much more subtle way than if you put in a colored light.
These lamps are a little on the expensive side costing a minimum of $150 for the cheapest ones. The nicer looking ones will obviously cost more. They are not a low cost lighting solution and is only meant for those people who want to add a bit of style in their homes. Even then they do not cost all that much more and if you actually look online you will find a number of shops that offer them at discounted prices. Go with the more reputable stores even if you find another place offering the same piece at a cheaper rate, or go directly to the manufacturer. Always add the cost of shipping to the price of the product to see if it is worthwhile to actually purchase it online before doing so. Sometimes the difference is really not big enough to make any difference.