Applique Coque

Remarkably sculptural but unexpectedly versatile, vintage Hervé Van der Straeten furniture and lighting is at home in all kinds of interiors. While the French designer’s chandeliers, tables and other works draw on everything from visual art forms in Japan to luxurious Art Deco–era furnishings to modernist icons such as Mies van der Rohe, Van der Straeten designs are unapologetically original and rather difficult to categorize.

Van der Straeten was born in Savigny-sur-Orge, France, in 1965. As a young man, he attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He studied painting but began making jewelry, too. Van der Straeten’s inaugural accessories, constructed with brass and rubber, garnered immediate attention. In 1985, French fashion designer Thierry Mugler had included several of Van der Straeten's designs in a show, and before long, he was designing for names like Alexander McQueen and Christian Lacroix.

Despite the success of Hervé Van der Straeten jewelry, the visionary designer shifted his focus to interior decor. "For me, jewelry was more like a parenthetical," he told 1stDibs. "What I always wanted to do was to design furniture." So, in 1992, Van der Straeten launched a collection of dishes, sconces and candlesticks. He opened a showroom in the Marais district of Paris in 1999, followed by a workshop in the suburb of Bagnolet.

Today, Van der Straeten oversees approximately 30 artisans at his ateliers who help bring his furniture designs to life. His work is delightfully unconventional and will draw the focus in any space — there is a compelling emphasis on the use of industrial materials, such as anodized aluminum and steel rods, as well as an integration of traditional techniques such as marquetry in his sculptural mirrors, side tables and other pieces. Van der Straeten’s furniture — some of which can be found in the alluring apartment in Paris that the designer shares with his husband, former Roger Vivier artistic director Bruno Frisoni — is available in the United States through both Ralph Pucci and Maison Gerard.

Find extraordinary Hervé Van der Straeten furniture on 1stDibs.

A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs — shop Tiffany Studios table lamps, modern chandeliers, understated wall pendants and other decorative lighting and fixtures now.

While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. 

Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.

Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat. 

Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.

As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.

There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation. 

With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.

The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.