Desk Task Lamps
Vintage 1930s American Industrial Table Lamps
Brass, Copper, Iron
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Japanese Industrial Table Lamps
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Industrial Table Lamps
Steel
Mid-20th Century Dutch Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1940s German Bauhaus Table Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1950s German Bauhaus Table Lamps
Brass, Steel
Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Table Lamps
Plastic
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Enamel, Steel
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1930s German Bauhaus Table Lamps
Metal, Steel
Late 20th Century American Brutalist Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1970s American Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1940s American Industrial Table Lamps
Steel
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s Unknown Post-Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Iron
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass, Nickel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Steel, Brass
Early 20th Century North American Industrial Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century British Table Lamps
Brass, Enamel
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1980s French Post-Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
20th Century Table Lamps
Aluminum
Vintage 1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Plastic
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1930s German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1980s Italian Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Early 20th Century German Bauhaus Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Industrial Table Lamps
Metal, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1950s German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s German Minimalist Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1920s American Industrial Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1950s German Bauhaus Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1920s American Industrial Table Lamps
Metal, Steel
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1930s German Bauhaus Table Lamps
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Table Lamps
Metal
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1950s Table Lamps
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Table Lamps
Zinc, Steel
Vintage 1980s American Minimalist Table Lamps
Metal
2010s South African Modern Table Lamps
Copper, Steel
Mid-20th Century British Industrial Table Lamps
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Table Lamps
Metal
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Desk Task Lamps For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Desk Task Lamps?
Finding the Right Table Lamps for You
Well-crafted antique and vintage table lamps do more than provide light; the right fixture-and-table combination can add a focal point or creative element to any interior.
Proper table lamps have long been used for lighting our most intimate spaces. Perfect for lighting your nightstand or reading nook, table lamps play an integral role in styling an inviting room. In the years before electricity, lamps used oil. Today, a rewired 19th-century vintage lamp can still provide a touch of elegance for a study.
After industrial milestones such as mass production took hold in the Victorian era, various design movements sought to bring craftsmanship and innovation back to this indispensable household item. Lighting designers affiliated with Art Deco, which originated in the glamorous roaring ’20s, sought to celebrate modern life by fusing modern metals with dark woods and dazzling colors in the fixtures of the era. The geometric shapes and gilded details of vintage Art Deco table lamps provide an air of luxury and sophistication that never goes out of style.
After launching in 1934, Anglepoise lamps soon became a favorite among modernist architects and designers, who interpreted the fixture as “a machine for lighting,” just as Le Corbusier had reimagined the house as “a machine for living in.” The popular task light owed to a collaboration between a vehicle-suspension engineer by the name of George Carwardine and a West Midlands springs manufacturer, Herbert Terry & Sons.
Some mid-century modern table lamps, particularly those created by the likes of Joe Colombo and the legendary lighting artisans at Fontana Arte, bear all the provocative hallmarks associated with Space Age design. Sculptural and versatile, the Louis Poulsen table lamps of that period were revolutionary for their time and still seem innovative today.
If you are looking for something more contemporary, industrial table lamps are demonstrative of a newly chic style that isn’t afraid to pay homage to the past. They look particularly at home in any rustic loft space amid exposed brick and steel beams.
Before you buy a desk lamp or table lamp for your living room, consider your lighting needs. The Snoopy lamp, designed in 1967, or any other “banker’s lamp” (shorthand for the Emeralite desk lamps patented by H.G. McFaddin and Company), provides light at a downward angle that is perfect for writing, while the Fontana table lamp and the beloved Grasshopper lamp by Greta Magnusson-Grossman each yield a soft and even glow. Some table lamps require lampshades to be bought separately.
Whether it’s a classic antique Tiffany table lamp, a Murano glass table lamp or even a bold avant-garde fixture custom-made by a contemporary design firm, the right table lamp can completely transform a room. Find the right one for you on 1stDibs.
- What is the best desk lamp?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertOctober 26, 2021The best desk lamp is a matter of preference — the right fixture can help you work more efficiently while also reducing eye strain. LED desk lamps in the 2700K to 4500K color temperature range often provide a warm and pleasing light under which to work. Shop a collection of antique, vintage, and modern desk lamps from some of the world’s top dealers on 1stDibs.
- Who invented the desk lamp?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2024
No one knows for sure who invented the desk lamp, as many engineers worked on designs for lamps during the 1920s. Many experts cite the Anglepoise lamp, however, as the earliest iteration of the modern desk lamp. Since its 1934 debut, this ingenious task light has become one of the most celebrated examples of industrial design.
How the Anglepoise came to be is the stuff of design legend: In 1932, a vehicle-suspension engineer by the name of George Carwardine joined forces with a West Midlands springs manufacturer, Herbert Terry & Sons, to create a mechanism by which opposed springs would, as Carwardine explained, exert a “unidirectional constant force” on a pivoted lever that could counteract the force of gravity.
This invention was not destined for an auto but for a lamp Carwardine was developing. The innovation would allow the piece’s articulated arm to be moved with ease to almost any position and remain there. As the product of engineering acumen rather than fashion, the Anglepoise soon became a favorite among modernist architects and designers, who interpreted it as “a machine for lighting,” just as Le Corbusier had reimagined the house as “a machine for living in.”
The Angelpoise's rivals include the 1930 Bestlite, which was one of the earliest Bauhaus-influenced designs, created by Robert Dudley Best, who had studied under Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus in Dessau. German modernist Karl Trabert’s 1930s desk lamp for Schanzenbach & Co. was notable for its domed shade above a hinged arm.
Find vintage table lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs. - What is a good desk lamp?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertSeptember 28, 2021A good desk lamp is going to make a substantial difference in any home, office or studio. The ideal desk lamp should provide apt task lighting, be easy to use, and also be aesthetically pleasing. Find a wide range of unique and elegant desk lamps on 1stDibs today.
- What is the best LED desk lamp?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertOctober 5, 2021There are many types of best LED desk lamps for your home — it's really a matter of preference. On 1stDibs, there are modern, mid-century modern desk lamps and other lighting to choose from.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The desk lamps with the green shade are called banker’s lamps. Banker’s lamps are green because it is believed the color helps to encourage concentration and is mentally soothing. It is also said that green helps with eye strain. You can shop a selection of banker’s lamps from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022British designer George Carwardine designed the Anglepoise desk lamp. Before creating the light fixture, he worked as an engineer designing automobile suspension systems. The first Anglepoise lamps debuted in 1931. You can find a variety of Anglepoise desk lamps on 1stDibs.
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Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
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Paavo Tynell’s Snowflake Chandelier Warms Up Any Room
This circa 1950 piece by the legendary Finnish lighting designer spent the past several decades in a family's home in Michigan.
NASA Parachutes Inspired Lighting Designer Bec Brittain’s New Collection
In "Paraciphers," now on view at Emma Scully Gallery in New York, Brittain introduces works that were more than a decade in the making.
This Handsome Leather Pendant Light Is Crafted Using Saddle-Making Techniques
The Doma by L’Aviva Home nods to Colombia’s equestrian heritage.
Celebrate Spring Year-Round with This Lush Murano-Glass Chandelier
Hand-blown glass makes the Italian fixture glow like dew-covered leaves in the sun.