Selenite Lamp Base
Early 2000s American Modern Table Lamps
Stone
2010s American Organic Modern Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Metal, Wire
2010s American Organic Modern Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Metal, Wire
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
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21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights an...
Enamel, Bronze
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Sheepskin, Oak
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Sheepskin, Beech
2010s South African Minimalist Dining Room Tables
Travertine
2010s South African Minimalist Dining Room Tables
Marble
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Travertine, Stainless Steel
2010s Belgian Modern Sofas
Linen
2010s Italian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Alabaster, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Travertine
2010s Italian Wall Lights and Sconces
Multi-gemstone
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Iron
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Antique 15th Century and Earlier Mexican Table Lamps
2010s American Organic Modern Table Lamps
2010s American Organic Modern Table Lamps
2010s American Modern Table Lamps
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Table Lamps
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Table Lamps
Early 2000s American Modern Table Lamps
Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century Table Lamps
Crystal, Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Organic Modern Table Lamps
Crystal
Late 20th Century Table Lamps
Lucite
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
2010s American Organic Modern Table Lamps
Rock Crystal, Metal, Wire
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Chrome, Steel
Late 20th Century American Table Lamps
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Table Lamps
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.
- What is a lamp base?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021A lamp base is the lighting element of the lamp which attaches to the lamp body. They are traditionally made up of nickel-plated brass.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The base of a lamp is usually just called the lamp base. Manufacturers and artisans produce lamp bases out of a wide range of materials, including metal, wood, glass and pottery. Find a selection of antique and vintage lamps on 1stDibs.
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