Koch and Lowy Chrome Cantilevered Modernist Desk Lamp
View Similar Items
Koch and Lowy Chrome Cantilevered Modernist Desk Lamp
About the Item
- Creator:Koch & Lowy (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)Width: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)Depth: 7.25 in (18.42 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Tiny inconspicuous indentation to side of shade. Overall excellent vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU154327320383
Koch & Lowy
Collectors know Koch & Lowy for its eye-catching sold brass five-arm chandeliers, sleek chrome swing-arm floor lamps and clever table lamps with marble bases. With a wide range of sculptural mid-century modern and 1970s-era fixtures created by the likes of George Nelson, Karl Springer, Piotr Sierakowski and others, the American lighting manufacturer elevated the design of furniture and home decor from the postwar era onward.
Ernest Lowy founded Koch & Lowy in New York in 1946, initially running the firm with his son, Thomas. Over the years, collaborations with notable designers such as American artist Neal Small — known as the “Prince of Plastic” for his innovative use of Plexiglas and Lucite — yielded iconic pieces such as Koch & Lowy’s biomorphic, clear-glass pendant lights and wall sconces for German manufacturer Peill and Putzler as well as the rare Half Nelson table lamp.
Created by George Nelson — an architect, journalist and designer who brought a slew of legendary designers to Herman Miller while he was director of design at the company — the Half Nelson table lamp, with its striking form and shade of spun aluminum, was originally designed in 1950 as part of an architectural project of Nelson’s on Long Island. Koch & Lowy put it into production in the late 1970s.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Koch & Lowy floor lamps gained wide acclaim. Neal Small’s architectural aluminum periscope Skyscraper floor lamp and their Pharmacy tent floor lamp, which Thomas Lowy admitted he copied unwittingly from Omaha architect Cedric Hartman, were particularly popular.
“I’d bought a tent [lamp] in Italy, but it had been made so badly that I decided to make a better one,” Lowy explained to the New York Times in 1976. “I didn’t know that the Italian one wasn’t original. I didn’t know it was a copy of Hartman’s design.”
Nevertheless, Koch & Lowy enjoyed success designing and producing innovative lighting fixtures and other furniture such as the brutalist Mirage coffee table, created by Polish designer and head of Koch & Lowy’s design department, Piotr Sierakowski.
While Thomas Lowy sold the company in the 1990s, the brand’s impact on modernist lighting design endures.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Koch & Lowy lighting and tables.
- Vistosi "Traro" Black and White Glass Table Lamps by Michael RedBy Michael Red, VistosiLocated in Chicago, ILIntroduce a touch of transcendent design into your space with these rare and impeccably preserved Vistosi Model L414 "Traro" table lamps by Michael Red. Hailing from the dynamic desi...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- 1960s Textured Ceramic Table LampLocated in Chicago, ILThis stunning textured ceramic table lamp from the 1960s embodies the essence of mid-century modern design with its unique geometric shape ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
$600 Sale Price52% Off - Westwood Industries Antique Bronze Geometric Table LampBy Westwood IndustriesLocated in Chicago, ILWestwood Industries antique bronze faceted geometric table lamp, circa 1978. Geodesic form with antique bronze finish. Brass harp and solid brass cylinder finial. Takes one standard ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Brass, Bronze
- Vistosi Nonzolo Table Lamp Model L428 by Michael RedBy Michael Red, VistosiLocated in Chicago, ILEnhance your interior with the unique charm and timeless elegance of the "Nonzolo" table lamp, designed by Michael Red for Vistosi, Italy. This versatile piece, which can also serve ...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBlown Glass, Murano Glass
$2,000 / item - Vistosi Zaghetto Table Lamp Model L282 by Gino VistosiBy Gino Vistosi, VistosiLocated in Chicago, ILIlluminate your interiors with a stunning blend of Italian craftsmanship and modern design aesthetics with the "Zaghetto" table lamp designed by Gino Vistosi for Vistosi, Italy. Dati...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBlown Glass, Murano Glass
- Donghia Origami Temko Table LampBy DonghiaLocated in Chicago, ILIntroducing the Donghia “Origami Temko” table lamp, a contemporary marvel of lighting design hailing from Italy. This lamp pays homage to Florence Temk...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Koch & Lowy Chrome Desk LampBy Koch & LowyLocated in Asbury Park, NJAn elegant desk lamp in polished chrome by Koch & Lowy; the tent shade articulates on a ball and socket and further adjusts on a swing-arm.Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
- Koch & Lowy Chromed Articulating Desk LampBy Koch & LowyLocated in East Hampton, NYThis is a wonderful and original signed Koch & Lowy pivoting chromed desk lamp with tent shade diffuser. Single Edison socket.Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of Koch and Lowy Table or Desk Lamps ChromeBy Koch & LowyLocated in Kansas City, MOPair of table or desk lamps in chrome by Koch and Lowy. Made with a very heavy weighted chromed steel base allowing the lamps to cantilever out 26 inches. Lamp heads are totally adju...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
$2,200 / set - Koch and Lowy Chrome Table / Reading LampsBy Koch & LowyLocated in Philadelphia, PAMidcentury Koch and Lowy table/reading lamp with adjustable shade and dimmer switch. This lamp has been refinished in antique bronze patina. This ...Category
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Koch and Lowy Chrome Desk or Reading LampsBy Koch & LowyLocated in Water Mill, NYPair of Koch and Lowy chrome desk lamps.Category
Vintage 1970s American Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Koch & Lowy Polished Chrome Articulating Desk LightBy Koch & LowyLocated in Los Angeles, CAModernist 1970s Koch & Lowy desk lamp in nickel/chrome finish. Articulates/pivots in several directions. Lamp has some cosmetic wear to finish consistent with age. Working cond...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
$624 Sale Price20% Off