Make a Design Statement with Mid Century Modern Lighting

What makes a piece of mid century modern lighting eye-catching? Why is it that you personally connect to some pieces more than others? Often it’s about the interplay of three design elements – line, color, and shape. Choosing a table, floor, or ceiling lamp with these elements in mind can help you create a personal statement in your decorating environment.

Minimalist Design and Expressive Lines

Clean, simple lines, often contrasted with smooth curves, are a defining feature of mid century modern design. Think of it as minimalist design, but with an expressive silhouette. Take for example floor lamps in the style Greta Grossman’s Grasshopper Lamp, which feature a simple conical shade connected to a long-stemmed shape leaning on a tripod base. Instantly recognizable as mid century design, it can stand alone as a singular form against a neutral background or easily slide into a corner and integrate into the décor.

Bolder Color and Rich Metallic Accents

Meanwhile, the same basic design silhouette can be made to render an entirely different statement by playing with some of the design elements. For instance, this second example of a Greta Grossman style lamp features a brightly colored red shade with a more pronounced base and tripod, yet still retains its mid century modern pedigree. A brightly colored accent or a uniform basic black – which you prefer is a matter of personal taste.

Introducing metallics is another option worth exploring. A warm brass lamp on a rich walnut desktop is an elegant pairing, while a mod sculpted chrome design can make a stunning statement.

Italian designer, Maurizio Tempestini, designed a desk lamp for Lightolier, for example, that features a glowing brass neck connecting an enameled beige shade and base. In this case the metallic brass complements the hues of the functional parts of the lamp.

Meanwhile, a more exuberant modernist spring table lamp by Sonneman is far more striking statement. It features a simple black cube base in sharp contrast with a chrome socket spiraled by a large chrome coil spring. The black base and brilliant chrome play off each brightly.

Original Modern Shapes

The importance of shape as a design element is especially important in ceiling lamps, as the fixture itself stands alone as a centerpiece of attention. Shape and material combine to deliver an individual identity to the piece. as in the case of a curvaceous origami lamp versus a brilliant space age sputnik lamp.

The textured Lucite material and curvaceous folded shapes of the “Origami” reflect a mid century modern organic aesthetic that emphasizes curves, rather than a more typical rectilinear shape.

On the other end of the mid century modern spectrum is a bolder robotic shape of a chrome sputnik chandelier. The globe lights and chrome ball center bring an edgier industrial aesthetic to the piece, while still maintaining a roundness in shape that produces an entirely different vibe from the origami lamp.

Form, Function and Find

Knowing and taking along the concepts of line, color, and shape will sharpen your eye for design and help you match the right lighting solution to your décor ideas.

For details on the lamps highlighted in this article and our full selection of mid century modern and other period lamps, browse through the lighting & lamps section of our online store.