Whimsical Lighting

Find many varieties of an authentic piece of whimsical lighting available at 1stDibs. Frequently made of metal, brass and glass, every item from our selection of whimsical lighting was constructed with great care. If you’re shopping for a choice in our collection of whimsical lighting, we have 81 options in-stock, while there are 24 modern editions to choose from as well. Whether you’re looking for newer or older items, there are earlier versions available from the 19th Century and newer variations made as recently as the 21st Century. An object in our assortment of whimsical lighting made by Mid-Century Modern designers — as well as those associated with Art Deco — is very popular. A well-made option in this array of whimsical lighting has long been a part of the offerings for many furniture designers and manufacturers, but those produced by Kifu Augousti, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Flos are consistently popular. You’ll find that an occasional piece of whimsical lighting may be too large for some spaces — a variety of smaller editions, measuring 4 across, are available at 1stDibs.

Prices for a piece of whimsical lighting start at $675 and top out at $24,500 with the average selling for $2,985.

The modern floor lamp is an evolution of torchères — tall floor candelabras that originated in France as a revolutionary development in lighting homes toward the end of the 17th century. Owing to the advent of electricity and the introduction of new materials as a part of lighting design, floor lamps have taken on new forms and configurations over the years. 

In the early 1920s, Art Deco lighting artisans worked with dark woods and modern metals, introducing unique designs that still inspire the look of modern floor lamps developed by contemporary firms such as Luxxu. 

Popular mid-century floor lamps include everything from the enchanting fixtures by the Italian lighting artisans at Stilnovo to the distinctly functional Grasshopper floor lamp created by Scandinavian design pioneer Greta Magnusson-Grossman to the Paracarro floor lamp by the Venetian master glass workers at Mazzega. Among the more celebrated names in mid-century lighting design are Milanese innovators Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, who, along with their eldest brother, Livio, worked for their own firm as architects and designers. While Livio departed the practice in 1952, Achille and Pier Giacomo would go on to design the Arco floor lamp, the Toio floor lamp and more for legendary lighting brands such as FLOS. 

Today’s upscale interiors frequently integrate the otherworldly custom lighting solutions created by a wealth of contemporary firms and designers such as Spain’s Masquespacio, whose Wink floor lamps integrate gold as well as fabric fringes. 

Visual artists and industrial designers have a penchant for floor lamps, possibly because they’re so often a clever marriage of design and the functions of lighting. A good floor lamp can change the mood of any room while adding a touch of elegance to your entire space. Find yours now on 1stDibs.