Anglepoise Desk Light
Mid-20th Century British Industrial Table Lamps
Metal, Enamel, Iron
Mid-20th Century British Table Lamps
Steel
2010s North American Books
Paper
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Steel
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Aluminum
People Also Browsed
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Glass, Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Sideboards
Teak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
Glass, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s English Art Deco Table Lamps
Aluminum, Chrome
20th Century Italian Glass
Murano Glass
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Buffets
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Industrial Table Lamps
Steel, Iron
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Table Lamps
Aluminum, Chrome
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vases
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
Oak
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Blown Glass
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Table Lamps
Aluminum, Iron
Early 20th Century English Bauhaus Table Lamps
Metal, Enamel, Iron
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Steel, Iron
Early 20th Century British Table Lamps
Steel
20th Century Table Lamps
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Steel
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Aluminum, Metal
Mid-20th Century British Industrial Table Lamps
Metal, Aluminum, Iron
Vintage 1930s British Industrial Table Lamps
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal
Vintage 1930s British Industrial Table Lamps
Steel
Early 20th Century British Industrial Table Lamps
Steel, Iron
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Aluminum
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Aluminum
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Table Lamps
Metal, Iron
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.
- 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.
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.