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Kalmar Lighting Furniture

Austrian

In 1881, Julius August Kalmar founded Kalmar, a Viennese company that produced handcrafted objects of cast bronze. Kalmar developed a fine reputation and exhibited internationally often, but it was Kalmar’s son, Julius Theodor Kalmar, who took over in 1913 and made the company shine with its modernist lighting.

Having studied at the Birmingham School of Art and Design and under the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann at the Vienna School of Applied Arts, Julius was deeply inspired by the shift to modernity taking place in Europe and sought to work with the leading architects and designers of his time, including Austrian Werkbund architects Josef Frank and Oskar Wlach as well as Ernst Plischke, Clemens Holzmeister and Oswald Haerdtl. Similar to the Wiener Werkstätte cooperative cofounded by Hoffmann that prized materials, form and function, Kalmar viewed his company’s lighting fixtures as “quite humble things” meant to “fit in and serve their purpose of functionally illuminating spaces without glare.”

In 1925, Kalmar began selling in Haus und Garten, the forward-looking decor shop founded by Frank and Wlach. By 1931, a close partnership with the Austrian Werkbund association of architects, artists and craftsmen allowed the company to realize its vision of early 20th-century modernity — a distinctly Viennese pairing of traditional workmanship with contemporary technology. These collaborations included chandeliers and other fixtures using traditional materials such as glass, bronze and brass while focusing on function over ornamentation. As the company grew, so too did the scope of its projects, and soon Kalmar was installing extravagant chandeliers for the Vienna Opera, the Burgtheater, Vienna stock exchange and other sites.

Under the guidance of Rudolf Calice, Julius Theodor Kalmar’s son-in-law, the 1960s saw Kalmar’s popularity grow, thanks in part to the success of more decorative pieces like the ice-glass fixtures created with Austrian sculptor Karl Gruber. Thomas Calice, the great-grandson of Kalmar’s founder, led the company in the 1990s and its expansion to international lighting projects while shifting away from serial production. In 2009, Thomas’s son August Chalice established Kalmar Werkstätten to produce fixtures that reference the Kalmar archives but also feature updates on the iconic designs. Kalmar continues to produce bespoke fixtures while also working on custom lighting projects around the world, from cruise ships to the Burj Khalifa.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Kalmar lighting that includes wall lights, floor lamps and other fixtures.

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Creator: Kalmar Lighting
Dealer: Rearview Modern
Kalmar Star Shaped Chandelier with Textured Glass, Germany, circa 1960's
By Kalmar Lighting
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mid-Century Modern star shaped chandelier with textured glass and chrome metal frame. Fitted with six lights and features curved handblown sh...
Category

1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kalmar Lighting Furniture

Materials

Chrome

Pair of Vintage Brutalist Sconces in Glass and Brass Metal by Kalmar, c. 1960s
By Kalmar Lighting
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Pair of Mid-Century Modern sconces with Brutalist design. The elongated cube shades are made of Murano glass with ice texture designs and are fitted with petite polished brass frames...
Category

1960s Austrian Brutalist Vintage Kalmar Lighting Furniture

Materials

Brass

German Mid-Century Modern Chandelier with Textured Glass by Kalmar, c. 1960's
By Kalmar Lighting
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mid-Century Modern chandelier with chrome starburst frame. The chandelier is fitted with six lights and features six hand blown textured glass shades with stylized pointed corners an...
Category

1960s German Brutalist Vintage Kalmar Lighting Furniture

Materials

Chrome

Brutalist Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount Chandelier by Kalmar
By Kalmar Lighting
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Midcentury flush mount with Brutalist ice glass design. Features long textured cubist glass shades with square chrome frame and center stem. Fitted with four lights. Two fixtures are...
Category

1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Kalmar Lighting Furniture

Materials

Chrome

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Pair of Glass and Brass Light Fixtures Designed by J.T Kalmar, Austria, 1960s
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Mid-Century Kalmar Brass Textured Glass Basket Chandelier, Austria, 1950s
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Pair of J.T. Kalmar Sconces 'Vongola', Brass and Textured Glass, Austria, 1960
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Previously Available Items
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Pair of Midcentury Murano Glass Sconces with Wood Trim by Kalmar
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Pair of Mid-Century Modern Brutalist Sconces by Kalmar
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Pair of Mid-Century Murano Glass Sconces with Wood Trim by Kalmar
By Kalmar Lighting
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
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Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount Light with Textured Glass by Kalmar
By Kalmar Lighting
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Modernist flush mount light fixture with streamline cubist form. Features handcrafted multi-textural ice glass an all sides. The fixtures features a floating square ceiling plate in ...
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Rare and Spectacular Cubist Chandelier by Kalmar Featuring 33 Ice Glass Pendants
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Phenomenal large-scale flush mount chandelier, featuring an unprecedented 33 ice glass pendants, each with their own individual stem. The glass shades are cubist in form and are comp...
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Pair of Textured Ice Glass Vanity Sconces Designed by Kalmar
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Kalmar Lighting furniture for sale on 1stDibs

Furniture from Kalmar Lighting are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive objects are often made of glass and are designed with extraordinary care. In our Kalmar Lighting collection, there are many options to choose from, although beige editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 780 vintage editions of these items in stock, while there is also a modern edition to choose from. Many original furniture by Kalmar Lighting were created in Europe during the 20th century in the Mid-Century Modern style. Many customers also consider furniture by J.T. Kalmar, Bakalowits & Söhne and Rupert Nikoll if you’re looking for additional options. The prices for the furniture can vary depending on size, time period and other attributes. 1stDibs's price for these items starts at US$245 and tops out at US$35,000, while pieces like these can sell for US$2,403.

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