big glass ball Sputnik lamp, Doria, 1970s

Following some of the darkest times in human history, mid-century furniture manufacturer Doria Leuchten emerged in post-WWII Germany as a purveyor of brilliantly designed table lamps, chandeliers and other lighting fixtures for homeowners of the era. 

Founded in 1945, the artisans at Doria Leuchten worked out of the Dynamit Nobel site in Fürth. Known during the first World War as one of the largest private primer manufacturing facilities in the world, it produced small-caliber cartridges for the German military during the second World War before being dismantled. The company moved to Werkstraẞe in Stadeln three years later, where their eye-catching high-end lamps — sculptural “cascading” chandeliers with Murano elements, hand-blown bubble glass table lamps mounted on chrome bases — would garner international acclaim. 

During the 1960s, Doria Leuchten attracted the talents of German industrial designer Wilhelm Braun Feldweg to create its celebrated Avus, Berlin-Serie and Modell 101 fixtures. Mid-century modern designer Klaus Slama was also brought on to design many lamps such as the Doria Mushroom table lamp. Many of the brand’s hanging lamps, including the 1968 Glass Tube Chandelier and the 1980 Pendelkrone, are winners of iF Design Awards. 

In 1986, owing to dwindling consumer demand for luxury lighting as compared to increasingly available cheaper alternatives, Doria Leuchten declared bankruptcy. It had been known by other names over the years such as DORIA-Werk, Beleuchtungsglas and Walter Donner GmbH & Co. KG. 

Find vintage Doria Leuchten flush mounts, floor lamps, lanterns and other lighting on 1stDibs.