Nessen Column Lamp
Large Chromed Column Table Lamp By Nessen
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Chicago, IL
Elegant and clean lined chrome table lamp from American lighting pioneer Walter Von Nessen
Category
Vintage 1950s American Table Lamps
Materials
Chrome, Steel
Pair of MCM Walter Von Nessen Tall White Enameled Column Lamps
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of MCM Walter von Nessen tall white enameled column lamps
Of minimalist design, with a 4.5
Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Metal
Nessen Studios Tall Brass Table Lamp by “Greta Von Nessen”
By Nessen Studio, Greta Von Nessen
Located in Oakland, CA
1960s Nessen Studios tall table lamp designed by Greta Von Nessen, constructed of brass, linen and
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Tall Walter Von Nessen, Nessen Studios Brass Inlaid Walnut "Tower" Table Lamp
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Towering Walter Von Nessen designed Nessen Studios Walnut & Brass Table Lamp, 1960s. Featuring an
Category
Vintage 1960s American Minimalist Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Walter Von Nessen Floor Lamp Early Version
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in New York, NY
of this example dates the lamp from the 1930's (fluted column etc.), the lamp is signed Nessen
Category
Mid-20th Century American Machine Age Floor Lamps
Materials
Steel
Nessen Style Gray Marble Table Lamp with Chrome Neck and Silver Shade
By Nessen Lighting
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Nessen. The minimalist modern lamp is a single square column with a chrome neck. The lamps takes a single
Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Marble
Postmodern Italian Marble & Brass Table Column Lamp
By Nessen Studio
Located in San Diego, CA
Elegant marble square column Italian marble table lamp, circa the 1980s with brass fittings and
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Marble
Nessen Studios Brushed Steel Swing Arm Desk Lamp with Cylinder Shade, 1960's
By Nessen Studio
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Nessen Studios Brushed Steel Swing Arm Desk Lamp with extending and adjustable Cylinder Shade. This
Category
Vintage 1960s American Machine Age Table Lamps
Materials
Steel
Nessen Studios Brass & Walnut Reading Floor Lamp with White Glass Shade, 1950's
By Nessen Studio
Located in Bainbridge, NY
American Mid Century Modern Nessen Studios Brass and Walnut Floor Lamp with White Milk Glass Liner
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Materials
Brass
H 64 in W 11 in D 11 in
Pair of Nessen NT754 Polished Brass and Chrome Table Lamps
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in St. Louis, MO
but not perfect), lamps are in very nice condition. Switch at bottom of lamp column, three-way bulb
Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Brass, Chrome
Pair of 1970s American Walter Von Nessen Style Swing Arm Chrome Table Lamps
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in London, GB
Pair of 1970s American, swing-arm, chromed-metal, table lamps attributed to Walter Von Nessen
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Metal, Chrome
Art Deco Aluminum and Acrylic Skyscraper Table Lamp Walter Von Nessen
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Art Deco aluminum and acrylic skyscraper table lamp. Walter Von Nessen Pattyn style. Maker
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Table Lamps
Materials
Aluminum
Pair Large Elizabeth Kauffer Nessen Studios Marble Table Lamps
By Nessen Studio, Elizabeth Kauffer
Located in Buffalo, NY
lamps, 1950s. Featuring a solid, architectural, white and gray veined marble rectangular column, Brushed
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Carrara Marble, Stainless Steel
Walter Von Nessen Machine Age Black Enamel & Brass Table Lamp, 1940's
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Bainbridge, NY
American Modernist Walter Von Nessen attributed brass column table lamp. Featuring an open five
Category
Vintage 1940s American Machine Age Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Substantial Pair Walter Von Nessen Style Brass & Walnut "Trench Art" Table Lamps
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Tall Walter Von Nessen style brushed brass and stacked walnut table lamps.
Featuring cylindrical
Category
Vintage 1940s American Streamlined Moderne Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Walter Von Nessen Style Brass Swing Arm Desk Lamp with Pale Green Shade, 1940's
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Walter Von Nessen Style Brass Swing Arm Desk Lamp with Pale Green Shade. Featuring a Brass column
Category
Vintage 1940s American Machine Age Table Lamps
Materials
Brass, Metal
Large Elizabeth Kauffer Nessen Studios Marble Table Lamp with Milk Glass Shade
By Nessen Studio, Elizabeth Kauffer
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Substantial Elizabeth Kauffer attributed Nessen Studios white carrara marble table lamp, 1950s
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Marble, Steel
H 33.5 in W 3 in D 7 in
Pair of Mid Century Modern Architectural Square Marble Column Table Lamps Style
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Port Jervis, NY
design. Slight variances in graining and color. Marble lamps have been polished and rewired.
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
H 19.5 in W 4 in D 4 in
Near Pair Vintage Hollywood Regency Grosfeld House Deco Torcheres
Located in Chicago, IL
, Walter Von Nessen. Uncertain to designer/maker.
Base plates are slightly different. One stands a little
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Floor Lamps
Materials
Metal
People Also Browsed
Organic Modern Small Table Lamp Natural Wood Handmade Fluted Shade
By Isabel Moncada
Located in San Antonio, TX
PATA DE ELEFANTE SMALL table lamp was designed for the Atomic collection by Mexican artist Isabel Moncada.
Named Pata de Elefante –Elephant's Foot– for the prominent shape at its ba...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Textile, Wood
Modern Low Round Findley Side Table in Specialty Lacquer by Martin and Brockett
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Martin & Brockett's Findley Round Low Side Table features the collection's signature curved lip and round base. Shown in Glacier blue hand polished high gloss lacquer
H 19.75 in. x...
Category
2010s American End Tables
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Stacked Bone and Brass Powder-Coated Table Lamp with Peekaboo Silver Leaf Shade
By Seth Premo, Arvo Ray
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The Junius lamp makes a bold statement with its geometric stacked elements that appear almost to float above one another. The lamp is constructed with a powder-coated steel shade and...
Category
2010s American Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Steel, Brass, Silver Leaf
H 18 in W 12 in D 12 in
CINETICO Murano Glass Brass Mobile Chandelier Red and Yellow Glass Elements
By Silvio Piattelli, Effetre International Company
Located in Tavarnelle val di Pesa, Florence
This exquisite Murano glass chandelier boasts delicate glass elements that shimmer and radiate a cozy, welcoming ambiance, making it the perfect centerpiece for any living space. Man...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and...
Materials
Metal, Brass
H 45.28 in W 53.15 in D 23.63 in
Walter Von Nessen Floor Lights
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Designer: Walter Von Nessen
Manufacturer: Nessen Lighting
Period and Model: Mid-Century Modern
Specs: Brushed Chrome
Condition
These Walter Van Nessen floor lights are...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Caracas Tripod Floor Lamp
By Jonathan Adler
Located in New York, NY
Kinetic modernism. Divinely dynamic, the Caracas tripod floor lamp is light and airy—but with a strong presence. Blackened metal stems of differing heights are gathered with a bowtie...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Floor Lamps
Materials
Brass
'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö
By Örsjö Industri AB
Located in Glendale, CA
'Plissé White Edition' pleated textile table lamp by Folkform for Örsjö.
This unique table lamp was awarded “Lighting of the Year 2022” by Residence Magazine Sweden, who called it “...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Textile
Eros Solid Oak Dining Table
By Aeterna Furniture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Solid oak handcrafted dining table.
2" thick tabletop with nature inspired pedestals.
Category
2010s Modern Tables
Materials
Hardwood, Oak
Bespoke Round Italian Travertine Dining Table
Located in London, London
Travertine dining table
Made to order in Italy
Round top
Dimensions can be adjusted
Honed or polished finish
Rounded or straight edges
Travertine pedestal
Photos show recently...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Materials
Travertine
Pair of 1970s Italian Brass Swing Arm Floor Lamps
Located in London, London
Pair of floor lamps
Swing arms
Brass
Original shades but are soiled
Dimensions are without shades
Italy 1970s
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Materials
Brass
MCM Art Deco Figural Jester Harlequin Table Lamps Style Marbro Pair Blue & Green
By The Marbro Lamp Company
Located in Topeka, KS
Joyful vintage MCM (Mid-Century Modern) Art Deco figural jester or harlequin table lamps in the style of Marbro, a pair. Comprised of molded plaster, blue, green, and gold hand paint...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Metal
H 46.25 in W 15 in D 15 in
1971 MCM Lane Dresser Credenza Buffet Tower Suite Collection Walnut & Rosewood
By Lane Furniture
Located in Topeka, KS
Spectacular vintage Mid-Century Modern dresser, credenza, buffet, or sideboard Lane Furniture Tower Suite Collection comprised of walnut, rosewood and chrome details, hardware, & doo...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Materials
Metal
H 29.25 in W 79 in D 19 in
Pair of Modern Art Deco Figural Dancer Table Lamps with Art Glass Shades
By Demetre Chiparus
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions- H: 18 3/4in W: 8 1/4in D: 5 1/4in
This vintage Mid Century pair of Art Deco figural dancer table lamps with art glass shades is truly an interesting example of minimali...
Category
20th Century Unknown Art Deco Table Lamps
Materials
Marble, Metal, Bronze
H 18.75 in W 8.25 in D 5.25 in
Pair Tall Stiffel Brass & White Porcelain Lamps
By Stiffel
Located in Chicago, IL
Two vintage Stiffel table lamps, with brass bases and columns, and octagonal urn-form white porcelain bodies. Gilt trim to white porcelain. Sold sans shades
Category
Vintage 1960s American Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
MCM Chrome Three Cylinder "Skyscraper" Floor Lamp by Neal Small
By Neal Small
Located in San Diego, CA
A very hard to find MCM atomic chrome three cylinder "skyscraper" floor lamp by Neal Small, circa 1970s. The lamp is in good vintage condition with minimal dings and a nice vintage p...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Materials
Chrome
Vintage MOMA Francesco Clemente Museum of Modern Art 1986 dream myth poster
By Francesco Clemente
Located in New York, NY
This three-part work spanning 10 feet was printed from the plates of Francesco Clemente’s mythological landscape Untitled A on the occasion of the 1986 MoMA, New York show of Clement...
Category
1980s Surrealist Landscape Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Recent Sales
Brushed Steel Column Table Lamp by Nessen
By Nessen Studio
Located in Asheville, NC
A stately and well finished column table lamp by Nessen Studios, NY. Milk glass diffuser on top
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Pair of Chrome Column Lamps by Walter von Nessen, 1930
By Nessen Studio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Stunning table lamps signed with the manufacturer's trademark embossed on the chrome base: [Nessen
Category
Vintage 1930s Central American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Chrome
Pair of Art Deco Chrome Column Lamps by Walter Von Nessen
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of Art Deco chrome column lamps by Walter Von Nessen, American, circa 1930s. They are each
Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Materials
Metal
Pair Of Chrome Lamps By Nessen
By Nessen Studio
Located in New York, NY
Pair of large chrome column lamps by Nessen. The lamps have been newly rewired with chrome double
Category
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
Materials
Chrome
Pair Of Nessen Walnut Table Lamps
By Nessen Studio
Located in Pasadena, TX
A pair of mid century modern table lamps made by Nessen. Walnut columns with black metal bases
Category
Vintage 1950s American Table Lamps
Materials
Metal
Nessen Studios Black Leather Table Lamp
By Nessen Studio
Located in Chicago, IL
Nessen Studios table lamp with center column wrapped in black leather and satin nickel-plated base
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Pair of Machine Age Column Lamps in the Manner of Walter Von Nessen
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Pair of outstanding Art Deco table lamps with Minimalist design. The lamps are comprised of simple
Category
20th Century American Machine Age Table Lamps
Materials
Chrome
Pair of Nessen marble lamps
By Elizabeth Kauffer, Nessen Studio
Located in Chicago, IL
Nice pair of deep green marble column lamps by Nessen.
Category
20th Century American Table Lamps
Materials
Marble, Chrome
Art Deco Floor Lamp by Walter Von Nessen
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A 1930s Art Deco floor lamp by Walter Von Nessen with a saucer shade in white enameled aluminum on
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Floor Lamps
Materials
Aluminum, Enamel
Tall Nessen Studios All Brass "Skyscraper" Table Lamp with Glass Shade, 1940s
By Nessen Studio
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Monumental early International Style Brass Table Lamp with White Milk Glass Shade by Nessen Studios
Category
Vintage 1940s American International Style Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
1970s Architectural Modern Pair Marble Square Column Table Lamps in Bisque
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1970s Architectural Modern pair of marble Bisque square column table lamps
Measures: 14.25 tall
Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Marble
H 14.25 in W 3.25 in D 3.25 in
Pair of Walter Von Nessen Table Lamps
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Elegant pair of simple brass column table lamps with glass diffusers and new custom silk shades.
Category
Vintage 1940s American Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Greta Von Nessen Enamel Dual Column Desk Lamp, 1950's
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen, Greta Von Nessen
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Nessen Studios Greta Von Nessen attributed off white and brass desk lamp. Featuring a fluted off
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Metal, Brass
Pair of Art Deco Chrome Column Lamps by Walter von Nessen
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of Art Deco Chrome Column Lamps by Walter von Nessen, American, circa 1930s. They are each
Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Materials
Chrome
Nessen Studios Table or Desk Lamp
By Nessen Studio
Located in San Mateo, CA
Brass and lacquer desk lamp by Nessen Studios. The shade tilts up and down and the column it is on
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Nessen Studio, Black Marble Table Lamp
By Nessen Studio
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Chic square variegated black marble column lamp with white veining. Original patinated brass
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Marble
Nessen Brushed Chrome and Walnut Table Lamp
By Nessen Studio
Located in Philadelphia, PA
1960s Nessen Studios table lamp of brushed chrome and walnut. Square brushed base with walnut
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Chrome
Pair of Nessen Cerused Oak Columnar Table Lamps
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Miami, FL
Beautiful figured cerused or limed oak highlights this pair of Nessen Studios table lamps. Classic
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Oak
Midcentury Model NT 1037 Mushroom Lamp by Nessen Studios
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in San Diego, CA
A very cool midcentury mushroom lamp (model NT 1037) by Walter von Nessen for Nessen Studios, circa
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Teak, Plastic
Early 1930s Bauhaus Swing-Arm Floor Lamp by Walter Von Nessen for Nessen Studios
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare and important,,,,,very early 1930s Classic Swing-arm Lamp designed by Walter Von nessen,,,made
Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Floor Lamps
H 53 in W 12 in D 14 in
Pair of Brown Cerused Oak Table Lamps by Nessen Studios
By Nessen Studio
Located in New York, NY
These table lamps are by Nessen studios, founded by Industrial designer Walter Von Nessen. The
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Minimalist Torchère Floor Lamp by Nessen Studio
By Nessen Studio, Von Der Lancken & Lundqvist
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Von Der Lancken & Lundqvist for Nessen floor lamp (circa early 1970s) composed of a thin, enameled
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Materials
Metal
Pair Walter Von Nessen Style Stacked Brass & Teal Enamel Table Lamps, 1940s
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Pair of Hollywood Regency Blue Green Enamel and Brass Lamps in the manner of Walter Von Nessen
Category
Vintage 1940s American Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Materials
Brass, Iron
Solid Marble Column Table Lamp
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Nessen Studio
Located in Costa Mesa, CA
A stunning and extremely heavy and solid marble column table lamp in the style of Robert Sonneman
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Carrara Marble
Machine Age Pr of Table Lamps in the Style of Walter Von Nessen Pattyn Products
By Pattyn Products Company, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Nessen/ Pattyn products 1930s aluminum lamps of the period. Stacked columns made up of aluminum and
Category
Vintage 1980s American Art Deco Table Lamps
Materials
Aluminum
Mid Century Modern Saucer Desk Lamp ... Space Age UFO Atomic Era Table Lamp
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Chicago, IL
Nessen.
The base, column and top shade is made of metal, and the white under shade is plastic. The top
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Metal
Nessen Studios Floor Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Nessen Studios floor lamp in chrome with slender tubular shaft atop disk-shaped base. Vintage shade
Category
Vintage 1950s American Floor Lamps
Pair of Tall Rosewood Column Table Lamps by Nessen Studios
By Nessen Studio
Located in New York, NY
An elegant pair of rosewood table lamps in a square column form (3" x3") on a square slate base
Category
Vintage 1960s American Table Lamps
Materials
Slate
Nessen Table Lamp
By Nessen Studio
Located in Hudson, NY
signed Nessen lamp. oak table lamp in a square column form.
base and accents in copper.
double
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Copper
Nessen Studio Art Deco Machine Age Floor Lamp, Early Walter Von Nessen Des
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Dallas, TX
Adjustable Nessen 1930's original art deco brushed chrome version, with original catalin twist knob
Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Floor Lamps
Materials
Aluminum, Chrome
Pair of Large Vintage 1960s Teak and Steel Lamps by Nessen
By Nessen Studio, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Hudson, NY
A beautiful pair of tall vintage 1960s lamps by Nessen, with chromed steel bases and square teak
Category
Vintage 1960s American Table Lamps
Nessen Italian Marble Column Table Lamp, Tall Marble Cylinder
Located in Atlanta, GA
Nessen Italian marble column table lamp. Tall marble cylinder. Marked. Dimensions: H: 26 inches: W
Category
Mid-20th Century Table Lamps
Materials
Marble
Nessen Floor Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Nessen square column floor lamp circa 1950 refinished in antique nickel with new drum shade with
Category
Vintage 1950s American Floor Lamps
Nessen Table Lamp
Located in Southampton, NY
Tall thin rectangular steel column with warm patinaed brass finish.
Category
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
Materials
Steel
Bronze and Marble Lamp by Nessen Studios
Located in San Francisco, CA
An American 1980’s Bronze Tall columnar lamp of square section with a tan marble base.The elegant
Category
Late 20th Century American Table Lamps
Large Mid Century Table Lamp by Laurel Lamp Co.
By Heifetz, Nessen Lighting, Lightolier, Laurel Lamp Company
Located in Framingham, MA
Striking large midcentury columned walnut and brass table lamp by Laurel Lamp Co. Some light
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Pair of American Machine Age Lamps
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A wonderful pair of American Machine Age lamps. A simple yet dramatic form with stepped bases of
Category
Vintage 1930s American Machine Age Table Lamps
Materials
Aluminum, Metal
Vintage Mid-Century Brass Desk Table Lamp Attributed to Nessen Studios
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Asheville, NC
Classic minimal design with a brass column and base, this mid-century brass desk or table lamp
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Materials
Brass
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Nessen Column Lamp", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.
Nessen Column Lamp For Sale on 1stDibs
Find many varieties of an authentic nessen column lamp available at 1stDibs. Frequently made of metal, brass and marble, every nessen column lamp was constructed with great care. Your living room may not be complete without a nessen column lamp — find older editions for sale from the 20th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 20th Century. A nessen column lamp is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in mid-century modern and Art Deco styles are sought with frequency. You’ll likely find more than one nessen column lamp that is appealing in its simplicity, but Nessen Studio and Walter Von Nessen produced versions that are worth a look.
How Much is a Nessen Column Lamp?
A nessen column lamp can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price 1stDibs is $1,500, while the lowest priced sells for $475 and the highest can go for as much as $4,000.
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.
Read More
You Don’t Need a Fictional Fairy to Get This Real Pinocchio Lamp
Warm chalet style meets cool Bauhaus functionality in Pietro Cascella’s cleverly carved creation.
Why Is Italy Such a Hotbed of Cool Design?
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.
With a High-Tech Flagship and Cool Collabs, Lladró Is Breaking the Mold for Porcelain Production
Thanks to its new leadership, the Spanish maker of figurines, busts and lighting is on a mission to update the art of porcelain for the 21st century.
Christopher Tennant’s Lamps and Dioramas Evoke Sunny Days and Seaside Locales
The former magazine editor blends elements of the Far East and America’s eastern shores, bringing wit and delight to his handmade, upcycled designs.
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.