Bookshelf Sconce Lamps
Vintage 1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal, Chrome
People Also Browsed
Mid-20th Century German Modern Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Early 2000s Danish Mid-Century Modern Stools
Chrome
20th Century American Industrial Swivel Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Plywood
Vintage 1980s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wool, Plywood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Teak
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Vintage 1950s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Formica, Teak
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Recent Sales
2010s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Bronze, Steel
Vintage 1960s American Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1940s American Industrial Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Side Tables
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Chrome
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Bronze, Steel
Finding the Right Lighting for You
The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. 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. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021Yes, you can put a lamp on a bookshelf. In fact, adding lighting to a shelf is a great way to draw one's eye to the space.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2024The difference between a sconce and a wall lamp is that a sconce is a type of wall lamp or wall lighting fixture. The term sconce is usually used to refer to a decorative lighting fixture whereas a wall lamp might refer to recessed lighting, spotlights or track lighting.
Usually installed in pairs or groups, sconces are decorative fixtures used to light hallways, or placed on either side of a door or bed. In addition to ambient illumination, they can provide upward or downward directional lighting, or both.
Find antique and vintage sconces and other wall lights 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.