If you've finally found the perfect teak desk and got a steal on a white Eames Aluminum Management Chair (play long with me in this imaginary world where thousand dollar items are find on craigslist for a couple hundred!), the last thing you want to add to your ensemble is a boring desk lamp. Here are some vintage finds from Etsy to finish the look.
TOP ROW (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT):
1 - Vintage Aqua Gooseneck Desk Lamp from Haven Vintage, $34.
2 - Vintage Industrial Silver Desk Lamp from Lackluster Co., $54.
3 - Green Soviet Table Lamp from 1974 from grynnbergs, $45.
4 - Mid Century Mushroom Lamp from the Sunday Times Market, $145.
5 - Vintage Small Mid Century Desk Lamp from Haven Vintage, $29.
BOTTOM ROW (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT):
Here are some alternatives, ranging from the mother of all task lamps (all hail Arne Jacobsen) to Crate and Barrel, if you don't want a lamp made before you were born:
1 - Arne Jacobsen Table Lamp from Hive, $812.
2 - Mad Desk Lamp from CB2, on sale for $59.95.
3 - Orbit Desk Lamp from Crate and Barrel, $199.
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Comments (5)
Hey, I've been looking for some vintage lamps! Some lamps I've found have had all of their guts replaced to reflect the newest UL standards, but some of the lamps I've found have all original wiring (with the implication that older UL standards are not as reliable). Is it safe to buy vintage lamps with all of the original wiring?
I've got a couple more in my etsy shop if you're interested...
http://www.etsy.com/shop/modapple?section_id=6987517
As for vintage lamps and the wiring - we've had many vintage lamps and never had an issue with the wiring. Switching out the wiring will probably give you more piece of mind but it's not mandatory. Also, if you find you're paying a premium for vintage lamps with upgraded wiring, it's pretty easy to switch out the wiring yourself (not on all lamps, but many). At a minimum I would inspect any lamp I get (old or new) for frayed wires or loose connections.
Oops!
Lamps #1 and #2 in the second row are switched. The first lamp is the orange "Mad Lamp" from CB2 and the second lamp is the Arne Jacobsen lamp.
I've got some nice MCM lamps in my shop as well (wall and desktop):
http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_query=lamp&search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_8145678
I agree on the wiring issue as well--I've got a lot of vintage lamps around the house with their original wiring--the UL standard has been around for a while, so it can be found even on older items. As long as the lamp functions and there's no wire frays, you should be OK (and lamp re-wiring kits are fairly inexpensive--thousands of them are on Amazon!).
I have that first blue lamp. I believe it was from Target a couple of years ago.