Floor Lamp or Reading Light 'Backslider' by Cedric Hartman for Jack Lenor Larsen

Cedric Hartman stated that the sole purpose of his floor lamps and table lamps was illumination, not noticeability. The result of this function-first philosophy has been a masterful collection of subtle mid-century modern and modern lighting fixtures that shine with simple but undeniable beauty. Hartman brought the same approach to his sleek and elegant side tables, which can blend into space while elevating an interior.

Hartman was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1929. In the late 1940s, he began a career as an architect; it was put on pause while he served in the Korean War. After the war, he spent time in Chicago, Paris and New York studying art and design. Hartman moved to Omaha in the early 1960s and started designing lamps. His dream was to create a lamp that would provide ample lighting without any imposition on a room.

Hartman’s ambitions were realized in 1966 with the design of the 1UWV floor lamp. While sleek lamp designs are easier to make today due to LED technology, Hartman’s lamp was revolutionary for its time. The slim and unimposing metal lamp with its thin triangular shade contrasted with the bold, bulky and decorative lights of the day. 

The 1UWV lamp was an instant success. It was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and displayed in its 1967 “Recent Acquisitions: Design Collection” exhibition. It also became a favorite of architects and decorators and was featured prominently in design magazines.

Hartman created many more floor and table lamp designs, including the 1H floor lamp, another low-profile luminaire added to the Museum of Modern Art collections. In 1968, Hartman began designing sofas, and in 1973, he branched out into table design.

While the 1UWV floor lamp remains his most famous work, Hartman’s illustrious furniture career spans over 40 years of thoughtful design.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Cedric Hartman lighting and tables.

Jack Lenor Larsen was a celebrated American mid-century modern textile designer born in Seattle. He fostered connections throughout the design and architecture industries beginning in 1950, and today, his influential eponymous design company is widely recognized for its muted hand-spun textured textiles. Larsen manufactured fabrics all over the world for more than six decades, using both traditional and modern weaving techniques.

Larsen initially studied in the architecture program at the University of Washington before he quickly realized he was instead interested in furniture design and interiors. He earned his MFA in 1949 from the Cranbrook Academy of Art — the go-to art school for design stars of the mid-20th century. The following year he moved and opened a studio in New York City where he launched his career. 

For one of his first commissions, which was to design curtains for the Lever House — a New York City icon designed by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois — Larsen created a linen and gold metal-themed weave to complement the building’s famed glass walls. He designed similarly magnificent textiles for the Phoenix Opera House, the Wolf Trap Theater and more.

Nowhere is Larsen’s profound impact on textile design more evident than at LongHouse Reserve, his house in East Hampton, New York. Modeled after a seventh-century Shinto Shrine, the home and its surrounding sculpture gardens opened to the public in 1992. 

Larsen built LongHouse Reserve in collaboration with Charles Forberg. The property features sliding panels that showcase the revered artisan’s fabrics as well as works by Lucie Rie, Wharton Esherick, and Edward Wormley. The gardens feature sculptures by Willem de Kooning, Sol LeWitt and Yoko Ono.

Larsen had a solo exhibit at the Louvre in 1981. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 

Find vintage Jack Lenor Larsen lounge chairs, sofas, and dining room chairs on 1stDibs.