Artemide Time Space

Artemide is an iconic firm in the design world. The mid-century Italian company is one of the best known lighting manufacturers and its award-winning fixtures are held in museum collections everywhere. Vintage Artemide table lamps, pendants, ceiling lamps and other lighting represent a thoughtful merge between functionalism and eye-catching design.

Artemide, which is based in Pregnana, was founded by Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza in 1959. During that year, Mazza created the first table lamp for the manufacturer — a modernist work in glass, marble and metal that he called the Alfa. Gismondi, who studied aeronautical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan and missile engineering at Rome’s Professional School of Engineering, applied his knowledge of cutting edge technology and materials such as fiberglass resin to Artemide’s designs for lighting and furniture.

In 1967, Artemide won Italy’s Compasso d'Oro design award for its Eclisse table lamp, which was designed by Vico Magistretti two years earlier. Other award-winning fixtures include the Tizio table lamp designed by Richard Sapper and the Tolomeo table lamp.

Designed by Michele de Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina, the Tolomeo featured the patented George Carwardine mechanism used in the original Anglepoise lamp. De Lucchi would later be recruited to join visionary postmodern design collective the Memphis Group. Artemide’s Gismondi purchased the brand after founder Ettore Sottsass dismantled the collective in 1988, and it was bought by Alberto Bianchi Albrici in 1996.

Artemide’s list of design, innovation, sustainability and other industry awards is long and distinguished. The firm continues to actively collaborate with internationally revered designers and seek out new talent through workshops with design schools. The company’s deeply held values — energy-saving lighting, sustainable design and ethically sourced materials — characterize its current offerings, and Artemide furniture and lighting can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and other institutions.

On 1stDibs, find Artemide tables, seating, floor lamps, chandeliers and more.

Whether you’re working on-site or giving your home office the makeover it deserves, a new, vintage or antique table clock or desk clock is a decorative touch that blends ornament and functionality. Who says that a unique desk clock isn’t a meaningful addition to your home office or library? And who says you don’t need a cool clock anymore?

While our means for telling time have evolved from pocket watches to wristwatches and finally to our digital phones, there is likely still a place for a table clock or desk clock in your life, even if it isn’t a modern desk clock.

Antique and vintage clocks appeal to our penchant for nostalgia, whisking us back in time to the 18th and 19th centuries, when clockmakers were busying themselves with designs for objects such as mantel clocks, then ornate pieces that were typically displayed on top of a fireplace. Tabletop clocks and desk clocks are variations on the carriage clock, a small, portable timepiece outfitted with a hinged carrying handle that garnered popularity as the growth of rail travel took shape.

Clocks make great collectibles. More than one mantel clock in your home library is going to elevate the space where your carefully curated stacks of books live, while a well-designed small decorative desk clock can be a fun way to express your personal style. Amid your inkwell, porcelain paperweights and other desk accessories, a desk or table clock designed during the Art Deco or Louis XVI eras, for example, is going to stand out in your workspace as a striking accent.

Since new, vintage and antique tabletop and desk clocks are not as common in today’s interiors, these objects will make a statement in yours. Find a spectacular clock on 1stDibs now.