Mid-Century Modern Chrome Ball Table Lamp by Robert Sonneman
View Similar Items
Mid-Century Modern Chrome Ball Table Lamp by Robert Sonneman
About the Item
- Creator:Robert Sonneman (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 6 in (15.24 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Rockaway, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU88371296070
Robert Sonneman
Though Robert Sonneman was quite literally born into the lighting business, it took working for another celebrated lighting maker for him to land upon the kind of boundary-pushing modernism for which the New York–based designer is known today.
At the age of 19, fresh off a stint in the U.S. Navy, Sonneman responded to an ad for a position working in the studio of George Kovacs on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he became the sole employee. “Although my parents were in the lighting business, they came from a traditional perspective, and Kovacs introduced me to modernism,” Sonneman once said. “It was 1961, and I was immediately captured by the movement.”
While working for Kovacs, Sonneman became captivated by the work of the Bauhaus, and he began experimenting with the influential art and design school’s ideas of functional simplicity in lighting. In 1967, he opened his own studio.
Though Sonneman Design Group produced furniture for a brief time, the designer eventually elected to focus on the one category that had always fascinated him; the brand became known for its floor lamps, sconces, pendants and chandeliers that feature unconventional treatments toward shape and balance, often inspired by modern architecture. Sonneman once said of his work: “I saw the lamps that I built as lighting machines that glorified the industrial aesthetic.”
Indeed, in the spirit of Bauhaus functionality — Sonneman has also cited Mies van der Rohe as being an inspiration — the designer’s work takes function-centric forms and motifs and elevates them while prioritizing technology. This spirit of forward thinking continues today, as Sonneman’s brand, renamed SONNEMAN – A Way of Light in 2003, works with LED bulbs to continue to push the boundaries of what functional lighting can achieve aesthetically.
Current-day releases by SONNEMAN – A Way of Light (still overseen by Sonneman himself) feature 95 percent LED lights and include interior and exterior lighting as well as modular suspended lights as an alternative to track lighting. Sonneman’s vintage pieces, however, are still widely collected on the secondary market.
Find vintage Robert Sonneman lighting on 1stDibs.
- Robert Sonneman Mid-Century Modern Chrome ChandelierBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Rockaway, NJChrome and smoked glass light fixture by Robert Sonneman on 20" long chain.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsGlass
- Mid-Century Modern Chrome Globe Table LampsBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Rockaway, NJVery nice Mid-Century Modern chrome globes arranged in spiral clusters table lamps.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
$2,800 / set - Mid-Century Modern Lucite and Chrome Table LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Rockaway, NJVery nice Mid-Century Modern smoked Lucite and chrome three globes table lamp.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
- Chrome & 5 Milk Glass Globes Mid-Century Modern Table LampBy Robert Sonneman, KovachLocated in Rockaway, NJChrome and 5 globe Mid-Century Modern table lamp with three way switch.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Mid Century Modern Polished Chrome Bullet Shape Table LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Rockaway, NJVery nice Mid-Century Modern bullet shape table lamp.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Chrome and Smokes Glass Shade Mid-Century Modern Table LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Rockaway, NJNice mid century modern chrome and smoked glass table lamp.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Chrome Metal Ball Lamp by Robert Sonneman. 1970sBy Robert SonnemanLocated in SAINT-OUEN, FRTall table lamp chrome ball black wood lacquered base by Robert Sonneman. Wired for US. famous design like Sciolari, Reggiani, Luci, Lumi.Category
Vintage 1970s American Space Age Table Lamps
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
- Mid-Century Robert Sonneman Three-Light Chrome Table LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Sacramento, CAMid-Century Modern chrome table lamp by Robert Sonneman with three lights and original shade. In excellent condition, with wear typical for age and use. Lamp measures 10" in diame...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Lucite with Chrome Eyeball Desk Table Lamp Robert SonnemanBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Port Jervis, NYSimple and elegant table desk lamp fully adjustable. Lamp pivots on a Lucite 7 x 7 base, tightens with the use of a chrome thumbscrew. Chrome eyeball shade does the same, totally adj...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Chrome Cube Table Lamp by Robert SonnemanBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Denton, TXAdjustable stem for height and swivel cube for direction makes this lamp perfect for a desk or bookshelf, on the base you can see the faux wood laminate.Category
20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Robert Sonneman Style LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in New York, NYMid-Century Modern Robert Sonneman (American, XX) style table lamp, having three chrome ball shades on adjustable arms pivot atop marble base. Measures: 36.5" H x 24" W x 8" D. D...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsMarble, Chrome
- Robert Sonneman "Gazing Ball" LampBy Robert SonnemanLocated in Highland, INA rare and important design by famous lighting designer Robert Sonneman, this wildly innovative table lamp uses one-way mirror and touch-lamp technolog...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsSteel