Coolest readily available budget lamp thread  

Noguchi Table Lamp
$105
http://akaristore.stores.yahoo.net/model1n.html

IKEA
Had that cool little table lamp on wheels a few years back.

Table lamp on wheels? Sounds...
Table lamp on wheels? Sounds like a bad idea....

I'm not sure I'd define $100-200 as 'affordable'
not in today's economy, anyway. I may own a bunch of high end stuff, but all my lamps are either IKEA or DIY projects. I don't think I've ever paid more that $50 for a lamp, even my chandelier, and frankly, I don't see the need to. I have a bunch of interesting, creative forms that give plenty of task and ambient lighting. I say go cheap on lamps and save your money for the bigger furnishings.
One of my fav's

whitespike
Trust me, it was cool. It was on the ID 100 for that year.

Oh, i trust you
I just can't imagine the function behind wheels on a table lamp. Care to explain the purpose?

Sorry,
I should have clarified that it's more like a desk or task lamp. The wheels allow it to be moved and turned easily.

I believe it sold for under $10 at the time.

it worked
it worked in lieu of an angle-poise function. You could swivel the lamp on the wheels instead of the base.
I dunno - seeing as lamps get insanely priced I'm okay with 1-200, provided it's not going to be non-functioning within 6 months.
I was particularly impressed with Ikea's Samtid lamp. I had one for five years and it gave great light. Plus it was easily hackable - I wrapped the shade of mine with self-adhesive walnut laminate and it classed it way up. (picture 2)

Hah! Hack it...yeah!
That's exactly what I do with lamps. Buy a cheap functional unit or component hardware and go from there. In my old house I had a circular saw blade as the escutcheon plate for my $10 Pier 1 Imports paper ball shade. I covered the electrical cord with a tightly wound extension spring from McMaster-Carr and TaDa! Instant industrial chic! I've done the wood veneer thing too. I wove the iron on edge strips stuff in a basket weave and ironed onto a cloth shade. Worked brilliantly!
Not that I'm a huge Todd Oldham fan, but have any of you ever seen his book Handmade Modern? It's a lot of fun and a good place for instpiration. A lot of the designs are kitchy, but they are certainly clever.

DIY is a great idea. Mig...
DIY is a great idea.
Might get some flack for this, but another source of inspiration could be Jonathan Adler. Then visit a local pottery collective/studio and make your own. Just another idea.
http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/home.php?cat=385

don't shoot me
but I like IKEA for light fixtures. Not so much their table or floor lamps. The table lamps are usually just a little bit off in some way and the floor lamps generally look kinda flimsy, though some of them put out really nice light.
Best little ceiling fixture for hallways, entries, etc., in my opinion is the "Lock", with frosted glass dish shade held in place with three or four brushed metal prongs. For $3.99 it's a steal. Very clean looking and simple and it puts out a nice soft light. We put them in our halls in place of those awful 50s old lady fixtures with the etched floral patterns and shiny brass bases.

spanky
I have numerous Lock around the house, including the bathrooms. Very neat, economical lighting option. However, one time one of the plastic clips spontaneously snapped and the glass cover smashed on the bathroom floor into a million pieces. Good thing I was not in the bathroom at the time.... That could have been ugly.

I'm a lock fan too
had them in the hallways and laundry room in our old house

I'll nominate 2 more:
Robert Abbey's "Buster" floor lamp ($276), which has a fantastic, massive shade for a dramatic glow, and can fill in nicely for Enrico Franzolini's $1,100 "Glida" floor lamp.
Christina Halskov and Hanne Dalsgaard's "Kulla" floor lamp for Ikea ($89), which has by far the best build quality I've personally seen in an Ikea lamp, and is a wonderful alternative to Sebastian Wrong's $1,740 "Spun" floor lamp.