Art Deco industrial designer Walter von Nessen is best known for his glamorous Machine Age lighting designs and for his invention of the swing-arm lamp. Von Nessen was born in Germany, where he studied under Bruno Paul at Berlin’s Kunstgewerbeschule. After World War I, he worked for the architect Peter Behrens, in Berlin. He left in 1919 for Stockholm, where he designed furniture until emigrating with his wife, Margaretta, to the United States in 1923. In 1927, the couple opened Nessen Studios in Manhattan, designing and selling sleek, modern architectural lighting.
Art Deco was both novel and exciting in the late 1920s — as, indeed, was electricity itself — and Nessen Studios was at the forefront of the movement. Electric lighting designers at the time had no direct models to follow. The shapes and silhouettes of gas lamps, lanterns and chandeliers had been influenced by those of the kerosene-, oil- and candle-lit fixtures that preceded them, which in turn were informed by the fuels they used. Electric lighting required designs that accommodated essentials of the new technology, like cords and sockets. Von Nessen and his contemporaries thus had to create fixtures that addressed these challenges and looked modern without appearing overly mechanical.
Along with industrial-design visionaries of the period like Raymond Loewy, Gilbert Rohde and Donald Deskey, von Nessen crafted a style that was emblematic of the Machine Age. He produced lamps and home accessories from spun aluminum, with smooth surfaces that evoked the polished gleam of streamlined automobiles and airplanes. And he experimented with other popular materials of the era, such as Bakelite, chrome and fiberglass. His ingenious design for the now-ubiquitous swing-arm lamp earned him a reputation as an innovator.
Von Nessen’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, among other institutions. Designed to complement the luxurious interiors of the 1920s and ‘30s, still look fresh nearly a century later.
Three-Piece Tea Set with Tray by Walter Von Nessen for Chase
By Walter Von Nessen, Chase Brass and Copper Company
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Three piece tea set with round tray by Walter von Nessen for Chase, USA, c.1930s. The set includes a tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl with Bakelite handles. The round tray showcases a...
Copper
Chase Three Piece Comet Tea Service Set with Bakelite Accents
By Chase Brass and Copper Company, Walter Von Nessen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Three-piece spherical tea set by Walter von Nessen for Chase, USA, c.1940s. The set includes an electric tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl with bone colored Bakelite handles. The chrom...
Stainless Steel, Chrome
Raynaud Limoges 23-Piece Porcelain Tea & Coffee Service with Gold Trim
By Limoges
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This 23-piece tea and coffee service by Raynaud & Cie embodies the elegance and artistry for which Limoges porcelain is renowned. Each piece is crafted from fine, translucent por...
Porcelain, Paint
$1,475
H 10 in W 6 in D 7 in
Anna Weatherley Designs Three Piece Tea Set Hand-Painted with Butterflies
By Anna Weatherley Designs
Located in Toronto, ON
A gorgeous three piece Coffee/Tea set, hand painted with butterflies by Anna Weatherley Designs. Anna Weatherley has been designing and producing Fine Botanical Hand Painted Porcelai...
Porcelain
13-Piece Vintage Japanese Tea Set
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage sumatsu serving set hand painted with maple leaves and birds / Made in Japan circa 1960s 1 tea pot, width 7 inches, height 4 inches, depth 6 inches 4 plates, diameter 6.75 in...
Porcelain
Brass and Copper Three-Piece Tea Set from the 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
Copper or brass set of a tea pot, milk creamer and a sugar bowl made by Erich Kolbenheyer for EKW Austria in the 1950s. Dimensions: Pot: W 37cm (14...
Brass, Copper
$2,900
H 7.5 in W 3.5 in D 8.4 in
English Silver Plated Bone Handle Four Piece Tea / Coffee Service / Tray
By Sheffield Silver Co.
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Transport yourself to the elegance of the Early 20th Century with our English Silver-Plated Bone Handle Four-Piece Tea and Coffee Service, accompanied by a sophisticated serving tray...
Silver Plate
$2,938 / set
H 7.49 in W 8.86 in D 5.12 in
5-Piece Tea and Coffee Set by M. Dufrene for Christofle (Gallia)
By Gallia
Located in NANTES, FR
Tea and coffee set designed by Maurice Dufrene for Galia/Christople Set consisting of a tray, a coffee pot, a teapot, a milk jug, and a sugar bowl. Black wooden handles. Gallia hall...
Silver Plate
Victorian Sterling Silver Three-Piece Bachelor Tea Service
By George Richards Elkington
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver three-piece bachelor tea set or service, boxed, an addition to our diver...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Ebony 5-Piece Complete Tea + Coffee Set by Zanetto
By Zanetto
Located in Milan, IT
Gorgeous breakfast set complete with milk vessel, coffee pot, sugar bowl, tea pot and tray all exquisitely crafted in a silver plated alloy.
Silver Plate
Six-Piece English Silver Tea and Coffee Service
Located in London, GB
Six-piece English silver tea and coffee service English, circa 1850-1863 Tray: Height 6cm, width 58cm, depth 58cm Kettle on stand: Height 43cm, width 29cm, depth 23cm Weight: 7,150 grammes This beautiful six-piece coffee and tea service is wrought from solid silver in a wonderfully ornate style. The service is a composite one, containing pieces produced by several different silversmiths, through the pieces follow a homogeneous design scheme, creating a matching set. The service is comprised of a raised...
Silver
$5,850 / set
H 5 in W 7.3 in D 6.5 in
Japanese Three-Piece Porcelain Tea Service Set Contemporary Gold Red Kutani
Located in Takarazuka, JP
Extraordinary Japanese contemporary museum-quality Kutani three-piece tea service set, generously gilded with high purity gold and extremely intricately hand-painted in red and green...
Gold
$1,950
H 9.5 in W 4 in D 8 in
A Mid-Century 5-Piece Christofle Electroplated Silver Tea and Coffee Service Set
By Christofle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Charming Mid-Century Five-Piece Christofle Electroplated Silver Tea and Coffee Set. The elegant set comprising of a coffee pot, a hot water pot, a sugar-bowl and a milk jug. Stampe...
Silver Plate
$520
H 3 in W 19.5 in D 12 in
Vintage Geisha Painted 21-Piece Japanese Footed Tea Set and Lacquer Serving Tray
Located in Lomita, CA
This is a an assembled 21-piece Japanese tea and condiment set that is a colorful example of mid-20th century export porcelain. Each piece is hand-painted with geisha, pagoda, and ga...
Ceramic