1960s Michael Lax Lightolier Lytegem Telescoping Desk Lamp
By Michael Lax, Lightolier
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a vintage Lytegem desk telescoping task lamp designed by Michael Lax for
Chrome
Floris Fideldij Telescoping Arm Desk Lamp Artimeta 1960s
By Kaiser Idell
Located in Den Haag, NL
Very well designed desk lamp. Design by Floris Fideldij for Artimeta Soest Holland 1960s featuring
Metal
Small White Tensor Post Modern Adjustable Telescoping Eyeball Desk Lamp
By Tensor
Located in Chicago, IL
Quintessential post-modern 1990s white Tensor desk lamp with high-gloss hard plastic base and shade
Stainless Steel
Telescoping Lamp by Giuseppe Ostuni for O-luce
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An early telescoping floor/desk lamp with a pivoting cone shade on an enameled and chromed steel
Metal
Space Age Telescoping Desk Lamp
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Space Age telescoping desk lamp Hamilton Industries desk or table lamp. This adjustable lamp was
Vintage Telescope Desk Lamp Orange Eichhoff
By Eichhoff
Located in Oirlo, LI
Vintage telescope desk lamp orange Eichhoff Design desk lamp Space Age. Designed in the 60s
Metal
Swivel Base Telescoping Floor / Desk Lamp
By O-Luce
Located in Ferndale, MI
Swivel Base Telescoping Floor / Desk Lamp Attributed to O Luce. Telescopes from 28" to 60" tall
1950s Italian Telescoping Floor or Desk Lamp by Giuseppe Ostuni for O-Luce
By O-Luce, Giuseppe Ostuni
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An early telescoping floor / desk lamp with a pivoting cone shaped shade on a brass and enameled
Steel
Telescoping Reading Lamps By O'Luce
By O-Luce
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Innovative and highly adjustable telescoping floor/desk lamps with pivoting cone shades on enameled
Steel, Aluminum
Vintage O.C. White Desk Lamp
Located in Oakville, CT
Brass Telescoping Vintage O.C. White Desk Lamp Overall Height Telescopes between 25 1/2
Brass
Antique Pedestal Art Table Brass O.C. White Desk Lamp
Located in Peekskill, NY
beautiful and very sought after all brass O. C. White telescoping desk lamp. Also see our other listing of a
Keuffel and Esser Double Pedestal Cast Iron Art Table
By Keuffel and Esser Co. 1
Located in Peekskill, NY
original. Included is an all brass articulating/telescoping Faries desk lamp. This lamp is very desirable
Arredoluce Lamp
By Arredoluce
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare telescoping desk lamp with pivoting shade and shaft that transforms into a floor lamp when you
Steel, Aluminum
Telescope Desk Lamp by J.T. Kalmar, Austria, 1960s
By J.T. Kalmar
Located in Basel, CH
Beautiful "Telescope" desk lamp by J.T. Kalmar, Austria in the 1960s. Solid brass parts and a brown
Brass
Mid Century Telescoping Desk Lamp
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Mid century adjustable desk lamp with white enamel conical head.
1950's Italian Telescoping Desk/ Floor Lamp by Ostuni
By Angelo Ostuni
Located in Hudson, NY
easily to any position and can be used an a desk or floor lamp. finished in its original chromed steel
Chrome, Steel
1950's Italian Telescoping Desk or Floor Lamp by Arredoluce
Located in Hudson, NY
a very nice italian lamp by Arredoluce c. 1956. Extremely versatile, it has a telescoping stem that
Stainless Steel, Chrome
Early 20th Century O.C. White Desk Lamp
By O.C. White
Located in Hudson, NY
An original O.C. White desk lamp with telescoping arm. Great industrial design. Adjusts to many
Nessen Studios Adjustable Chrome Swing Arm Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Nessen Studios chrome 1950's telescoping swing arm desk lamp with original milk glsss diffusor and
Chrome
Midcentury Red Soft Pad Chair by Eames for Herman Miller
By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
Authentic Vintage Eames Soft Pad Chairs for Herman Miller – Red Leather For your consideration: a striking pair of authentic vintage Eames Soft Pad Management Chairs, designed by Cha...
Aluminum
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 58 in Dm 16.25 in
1960s Martz Marshall Studios Ceramic Tile Walnut Floor Lamp Cabin Modern Rustic
By Gordon & Jane Martz
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern floor lamp. Solid turned walnut base, shaft, finial. Inlaid tan Martz ceramic tiles to top of base. Fully Functional, takes Normal sized US screw-in ...
Ceramic, Walnut
Set of 3 Alvar Alto Stool 60 by Artek, Finland
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Montclair, NY
Set of 3 vintage original vintage Alvar Alto 60 stools from early 1960s. From a private home with one owner who purchased them in the late 1950s. Two with blue linoleum tops and one ...
Bentwood, Birch
$1,155Sale Price / item|30% Off
H 16.1 in Dm 11.5 in
'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö
By Örsjö Industri AB
Located in Glendale, CA
'Plissé White Edition' pleated textile table lamp by Folkform for Örsjö. This unique table lamp was awarded “Lighting of the Year 2022” by Residence Magazine Sweden, who called it “...
Textile
$557Sale Price|29% Off
H 2 in W 8.5 in D 5.5 in
1950s Danish Teak Freeform Carved Nut Bowl Table Centerpiece Vintage Modern
By Finn Juhl
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Obscure Danish Design Company, AL-BO. Highly finished, thin walled Teak wedge-shaped bowl.
Teak
$1,295Sale Price|23% Off
H 29.5 in W 33.625 in D 21.75 in
1954 Coen de Vries Desk in Birch with Ebony Base, Red Drawer and Formica Top
By Coen de Vries, Devo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great little writing desk in birch wood with ebony x-base, red drawer and Formica top. Coen de Vries is one of the Dutch pioneers of industrial design. Many of Coen de Vries' practic...
Formica, Birch, Ebony
$7,192
H 20.67 in W 39.38 in D 24.81 in
Vintage Functionalist Desk by Alvar Aalto, Artek, Finland, 1930s
By Alvar Aalto, Artek
Located in Stockholm, SE
Desk by Alvar Aalto made from birch with original green top. Lovely, clean lines. Neat size, small drawer to the left.
Birch
$2,164
H 22.05 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Alvar Aalto Mid-Century Modern Center Table, Artek, Finland, 1960
By Alvar Aalto
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Dining table designed by Alvar Aalto, circa 1960. Manufactured by Artek (Finland). Wood legs and structure. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, prese...
Wood
Mid-Century Modern Abstract Metal Bull Sculpture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mid-Century Modern Abstract Metal Bull Sculpture
Metal
Beautiful Danish Modern Solid Teak Serving Tray
By Kay Bojesen
Located in San Diego, CA
A beautiful solid teak handmade serving tray, beautiful grain, and condition oval shape, with raised edges unmarked in the style of Kay Bojensen.
Teak
$579 / item
H 11.8 in W 7.3 in D 5.9 in
Louis Weisdorf 'Multi-Lite' Portable Table Lamp in Chrome for GUBI
By Louis Weisdorf, Gubi
Located in Glendale, CA
Louis Weisdorf 'Multi-Lite' Portable Table Lamp in Chrome for GUBI Designed in 1972 by Weisdorf, this new portable version of Weisdorf's iconic design was created by GUBI of Denmar...
Chrome, Metal
Pair of Midcentury Adjustable Lamps by Tensor
By Tensor
Located in Water Mill, NY
Pair of midcentury adjustable table or desk lamps by Tensor
Metal, Brass
Danish Modern Vermund Larsen Triangular Table
Located in Minneapolis, MN
This unique side table features a triangularly shaped top and shelf supported by sleek powder coated black metal legs.
Steel
Josef Albers Signed Abstract Screenprint "Ascension"
By Josef Albers
Located in Atlanta, GA
Original signed abstract screenprint, entitled "Ascension", by Josef Albers for the limited edition "Washburn College Bible", 1979. Albers created this work as a frontispiece for Vol...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Turned Teak Table Lamp by ESA Denmark
By ESA
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A Scandinavian Modern table lamp in a sculptural and elegant columnar form by ESA Denmark. Impeccably hand-turned from a single teak block of richly grained and warmly toned texture....
Bronze
Mid-Century Busquet Model 875 Telescoping Wall Lamp for Hala, Aluminum
By Hala Zeist, Herman Theodoor Jan Anthoin Busquet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 875 telescoping wall lamp designed by H.Th.J.A. Busquet for Dutch manufacturer Hala in the 1950s represents the functional approach to task lighting that characterized postwar ...
Metal, Aluminum
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.
No one knows for sure who invented the desk lamp, as many engineers worked on designs for lamps during the 1920s. Many experts cite the Anglepoise lamp, however, as the earliest iteration of the modern desk lamp. Since its 1934 debut, this ingenious task light has become one of the most celebrated examples of industrial design.
How the Anglepoise came to be is the stuff of design legend: In 1932, a vehicle-suspension engineer by the name of George Carwardine joined forces with a West Midlands springs manufacturer, Herbert Terry & Sons, to create a mechanism by which opposed springs would, as Carwardine explained, exert a “unidirectional constant force” on a pivoted lever that could counteract the force of gravity.
This invention was not destined for an auto but for a lamp Carwardine was developing. The innovation would allow the piece’s articulated arm to be moved with ease to almost any position and remain there. As the product of engineering acumen rather than fashion, the Anglepoise soon became a favorite among modernist architects and designers, who interpreted it as “a machine for lighting,” just as Le Corbusier had reimagined the house as “a machine for living in.”
The Angelpoise's rivals include the 1930 Bestlite, which was one of the earliest Bauhaus-influenced designs, created by Robert Dudley Best, who had studied under Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus in Dessau. German modernist Karl Trabert’s 1930s desk lamp for Schanzenbach & Co. was notable for its domed shade above a hinged arm.
Find vintage table lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.
Commissioned for the lakeside villa of a Finnish industrialist, it illuminated visits with dignitaries.
Across New York, there’s no shortage of statement lighting on view.
The 1920s design is a thrilling combination of saturated colors, ancient motifs and modern aesthetics.
Designed by a giant of Swedish lighting, the large-scale fixtures bring major drama.
The alluring pendant light exemplifies the designer’s winsome mid-career work.
Before founding the Memphis Group, Sottsass bent the rules of lighting design with the wonderfully wavy Cometa.
Warm chalet style meets cool Bauhaus functionality in Pietro Cascella’s cleverly carved creation.
Patrizio Chiarparini of Brooklyn’s Duplex gallery sheds light on the lasting legacy of Italy’s postwar furniture boom.