Labarge Lamp

Renowned in the world of interior design, American furniture manufacturer LaBarge specializes in elegant, handcrafted mirrors and glass top tables that complement a multitude of decorating styles. Its pieces draw on the timelessness of mid-century modernism, the glamour of Hollywood Regency, traditional European classicism and more. 

While the company is based in North Carolina, LaBarge has long looked to cultures all over the world for inspiration, relying on techniques such as carving, gilding, molding and hand-rubbed finishing to create their distinctive contemporary designs and antique reproductions.

LaBarge’s celebrated furnishings include sunburst mirrors outfitted with heavy brass detailing or Italian-style giltwood wall mirrors that feature hand-painted birds adorning the glass panels or chinoiserie patterns that dot the frames. Vintage LaBarge coffee tables, with their unconventional shapes, sleek glass tops and signature hooved feet in brass, are always in demand, while the brand’s dramatic, Louis XVI-style console tables with black lacquer and intricate gilding make a statement in any space. 

LaBarge Mirrors Inc. was founded in 1962 by Chicago-born furniture salesman William LaBarge Sr., who purchased the residential mirror division of Holland, Michigan’s Donnelly Mirrors — formerly Donnelly-Kelley Glass Company.

LaBarge’s founder, who had moved to Michigan in the late 1940s, sold the company to Masco Corporation in 1987, which had entered the furniture manufacturing business earlier in the decade and had by then owned widely loved brands Henredon, Drexel and others. A company called Heritage Home Group, LLC purchased LaBarge and a range of other brands in 2013.

In 2015, furniture designer Susan Hable created a new line of mirrors for LaBarge inspired by the likes of Italian architect Gio Ponti and modernists such as Belgian sculptor Georges Pelletier and German-American designer Karl Springer. North Carolina’s Rock House Farm (RHF Investments) acquired LaBarge and other manufacturers from Heritage Home Group in 2018.

Find vintage LaBarge mirrors, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.

The California-born style of Hollywood Regency, also known as Regency Moderne, emerged during the Golden Era of cinema from the 1920s to the ’50s. Decadent and bold, vintage Hollywood Regency furniture and interiors playfully mix colors like jewel tones and hot pinks with lacquered walls, gilded accents, mirrored surfaces and metallic finishes for maximalist spaces.

Although it involved elements of the coinciding Art Deco movement, such as a preference for clean lines, Hollywood Regency was much more opulent, inspired by glamorous movie stars and the lavish set designs for films being made in Tinseltown. Furniture designers associated with the style embraced an eclectic range of influences, including throwbacks to previous styles of grandeur, such as Rococo, neoclassical and chinoiserie, as well as materials, from bamboo dining chairs to lucite bar carts to sunburst mirrors made from gilded resin. Hollywood Regency end tables, floor lamps, chandeliers and other pieces tended to be small-scale, fitting into an overall design rather than serving as a focal point.

Interior decorator Dorothy Draper led the shaping of the Hollywood Regency style and also designed iconic pieces like the España chest, which was manufactured by Henredon. Virginia native William “Billy” Haines, a furniture designer who started as an actor, contrasted hand-painted wallpaper with Chinese ceramics and Chippendale chairs, while architect John Elgin Woolf imbued his Beverly Hills designs with theatrical details. Paul Revere Williams, a trailblazing African-American architect, was pivotal in defining the look through his commercial projects, such as the 1940s Beverly Hills Hotel and bespoke homes that mixed everything from Louis XV paneling to Georgian architecture.

Find a collection of vintage Hollywood Regency bedroom furniture, tables, seating and other pieces on 1stDibs.

Antique table lamps became a category of their own once electricity moved light off the wall and onto furniture. The form split quickly: task-driven designs like the Anglepoise on one side, decorative ceramic and glass on the other.

Styles to Know

Base material shapes the light as much as the shade does: ceramic and glass diffuse a softer glow, while brass and metal read more directional. Layer the look with a mid-century modern floor lamp for ambient light, or set a pair on a mid-century modern nightstand for a bedroom.

How to Choose the Right Vintage Table Lamp

Buying individually rather than as a pair allows more flexibility when mixing eras across a room. For those shopping by name rather than by shape, the history of the Anglepoise lamp is worth a read. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed, and the 1stDibs Promise stands behind every purchase.