Types of Table Lamps

Keep your lamps neutrral and never orange. Furniture, wall to wall carpeting and other long term decor items should be neutral. Add more color, if you must, with throws, pillows and accessories.

What? Color lamps are huge in modern decor

Lamps are not longterm decor

Even Appliances are trending modern bold colors as stainless steel wanes

Lamps are long term, and expensive if you are buying the top of the line. They can last a lifetime and you can change shades as trends happen. Accessories are the only items that can be lower priced. My comments are not for the Ikea or Home Goods buyer. g

If it’s beside two chairs make sure the height and shade diameter are so that the non-shaded part of the light beam is wide enough to hit books/magazines being read, but still low enough that the bulb is not visible by the reader.

I very much think you can do orange gourd lamps in what you describe, but keep room accessories to a stark minimum. You don't want to assault the eyes with too much going on; the color orange is already vibrant.

Also, not a lamp-specific thing but with such a strong color make sure that orange or a close match are present in at least two other items in the room. Could be part of a fabric pattern used for throw pillows, a vase, drapes, in your inspo pic the book on the table.

Those lamps with a large base take up a lot of room on the night stand.

Lamps should not be long term decor. If you buy really expensive lamps you are stuck with them much longer then you want to be. Go for a lesser priced lamp so you can change it when you want to go with a different decor. Colored lamps are very stylish now and add a pop of color to every room.

Do gourd lamps look feminine?

R5, then your advice is distinctly for a tiny elite, likely with a nonmodern sensibility

Yes, R11. And they also make your ass look fat.

Not at all just for a tiny elite - this is decorating 101. My advice works with the beginning apartment dweller to the estate dweller. Look at the apartment and homes for sale by the wealthy that you see in the DM now and then. Always neutral backgrounds. You can use paint on the walls as an inexpensive use of color, even apartment dwellers - my complex allows accent walls. I have a rich brown in the LR and gray in the MBR.

Yeah, I don't understand the throwaway culture. Invest in something with quality and you'll have it for life. Leave the color to pillows or throws. I have a pair of these in my living room that I've had for years, they/re classics and mix with everything. There are a lot of knock offs out there.

Maybe the culture doesn’t want to have the same thing for decades. I like to buy new stuff every few years

Thank you for the validation. Love your lamp( #14). It is timeless and can be used in LR, BR, hallway, etc. There is a decorator from San Diego that I admire. She has a youtube channel at Rebecca Robeson Designs. She does everything from huge lofts and upscale homes to beginner apartments for her kids. She uses design principles of neutrals, symmetry and function with lots of built ins. I don't care for her taste in art, but agree with her on everything else. Her personality takes a bit of getting used to (or muted).

this

Anything Christopher Spitzmiller...

I recommend a Holtkoetter lamp. I have several and love them.

That's fine, R16. Nobody wants the same thing forever.Most people's taste evolves. I was advocating for buying the best quality you can in the more permanent things. I just don't see the point of redoing everything over every few years. It seems wasteful and all you end up with is cheap stuff that everyone else has trying to chase a trend. Buy what you really love and you'll have it a long time. Change out the small stuff. Or, even art. Move it around, things even feel different in another room.

(R 15) Totally agree with you. Same philosophy goes for clothing, color of your car, front door. Lets call it tasteful. The hell with the Pantone "color of the year". House sales in upscale parts of town when the residents are going to an assisted living situation and have to dispose of the Henredon can allow the less affluent to have furniture that won't fall apart. God place to pick up lamps also. R16

To me, lighting and lamps are really important. I hate overhead lighting; it's unflattering, like Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. IMO, lamps are important pieces of furniture and I would be willing to pay the price for a nice lamp. I don't see anything wrong with getting an orange base if that's what you like.

I dunno, but modern designers tend to like color table lamps a lot. I am buying a house and almost professionally staged homes have them.

R19 is quite correct. Christopher Spitzmiller pretty much made gourd lamps a thing again. His pottery is lovely. It's not inexpensive, but then again, there are sample sales and such. The other way to work around the price is look at the best stuff you can find, and then see what knock offs are similar. I've also found that if you keep half of what you have to be good quality, you can mix in stuff from inexpensive places and what's around it elevates it.

A $1000 lamp? Hell to the naw!

I'll take classic over Ikea any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Not my style. I’m a contemporarist

OP buy what you like and what you can afford.

Indeed

Don’t buy for other peoples’ Snooty tastes.

COLOR lamps are the biggest sellers now

In 5 years brightly colored lamps will scream "obsolete". Buy quality, never the latest thing. House sales are a good source. That said, I have a pale yellow ceramic lamp from way back that still looks good in a bedroom.

In five years, I will want new lamps anyway.

Even Appliances are trending bright colors now

I may have a distinctly minority viewpoint. A really nice, antique gourd vase that's been adapted into a lamp would be a classic furnishing, in just about any setting, regardless of the other colors. In some cases, the color just "is": it's the color the object is meant to be. You don't buy a piece of amber, then decide it should have been colored purple instead of amber. I prefer certain colors (I like a cool color palette), but I still have furnishings in a wide range of colors.

To continue.....I don't understand this thing about wanting new lamps every few years. I have an alabaster lamp that belonged to my grandmother. I have a Wedgwood lamp that my mother inherited from my great-aunt, which was then passed on to me. And, to my surprised, I found a matching one on eBay, so the Wedgwood lamps in my living room are arranged symmetrically, and have square box shades. When I picked out the paint colors for my living room (Tiffany blue with white trim), it was inspired by my Mom's collection of Wedgwood china.

R37, no disrespect, but you have a distinctly minority viewpoint, at least for people born after 1965. People value what’s new and hot, not heirlooms today. Not that you should be like the masses.

I recently talked to an antique furniture hobbyist who also sells the furniture. She told me she is bummed because people today don’t value antique or classic furniture; modern rules the marketplace. She says people Balk at paying her for the worth of her furniture because they are accustomed to paying only a couple hundred dollars for major pieces.

R1 et al is such a pretentious twat. He writes as if he is a Newport doyenne but notes he lives in a complex. Not exactly a sign of the upper crust.

Op buy the lamp you like. Enjoy your space and follow your own rules. Fuck everyone else.

R38, I didn't sense any disrespect. Thanks. I'm from a different generation. I actually did inherit a large number of tacky, very dated lamps after my parents died. They were quickly disposed of. The lamps I kept actually had connections to relatives I loved. I realize some people never inherit anything worth noting, and I can't offer much comfort, except to say that I come from nothing.

R37 I’m glad you have sentimental connections to your lamps because the one you posted is hideously ugly.

If you have Restoration Hardware money to spend. You can get something classic and contemporary looking. Otherwise thrift store lamps are usually cool and fun to find as well as weighing heavier, which I find more interesting than the cheap stuff you'll buy at a Target kind of store.

Good advice

If you want to change things up a bit every few years, then buy lamps and other "permanent" stuff at a thrift shop. It's much less wasteful to reuse, especially if you know that you aren't going to hold on to it forever and often you can find higher quality items there. But often shades are missing or damaged, and that's where you'll spend some extra money

It all depends upon personal taste. Most younger people today don’t care about old traditional furniture conventions; they are about what’s cool and hip now. They shouldn’t be constrained by the tastes of old white People.

I agree with those who want to invest in furniture and appliances that last "a lifetime". Because then you can focus on other things instead of being obsessed if your home is still trendy or tricks laughing at your sorry ass for having last season's wallpaper color (oh, the humanity!). Just add things that you think fit with your classic style and use easily replaceable accessories to give it vibrant color and busy patterns.

I’ve bought some really nice lamps at antique stores, flea markets and Craigslist. The money comes in with the shades, finials and harps which are usually missing.

OP, if you want something classic to go with your blue chairs, my suggestion is either some blue and white Chinese pottery lamps with orange shades, or maybe some big brass lamps with orange shades. If you get tired of orange later, it’s easy to change the shades. Upgrade the finials to something you really like, it’s like jewelry for your room.

If you want something you know you’ll get rid of in a few years, look at Craigslist or flea markets. I have a ruby glass mid-century lamp with an openwork cast iron base I got at a flea market for $20. The ruby crystals were missing, but I went to an antique store and got some, along with some ruby crystal beads I draped over it, and a cast iron looking finial. Yes, it’s ridiculously over the top and looks like it belongs in Elvira’s bedroom, but I love it.

A lot of times you can get pairs of high quality older lamps at flea markets. It’s easy to find blue and white Chinese lamps anywhere from Home Goods to flea markets. A colored yellow or orange shade looks well with blue and white and customizes it. Orange is the opposite side of the color wheel from blue.

I picked up two mismatched blue and white lamps over a couple weeks at a local flea market and got each one a slightly different white shade to suit each lamp, and got matching finials that are small blue and white porcelain elephants. The lamps were about $5-$15 each.

I got another pair of vintage large hammered brass oversized lamps at a flea market, and put bright golden yellow shades on them. A friend begged me for them, and I gave them to him, which I now regret. Those were about $20 apiece.

Look for colored shades online, they make a big difference.

OP Datalounger's have terrible taste (e.g R37, R27, R20, R18, R15). Whatever the "rules" are; break them. Buy what you like. Decorate your space so that it pleases you.

Exactly. Who cares about keeping lamps that will last decades anymore? Even antique furniture collectors are an endangered species now.

I’ve bought cheap furniture that I love that lasted for 20 years, including lamps. Cheap furniture does not necessarily mean it will not last long.

Craigslist has opportunities

To me, gourd lamps are far from the most clean/modern look that you can achieve with lamps OP. If you could post pics of chairs, side tables and other furniture in the room that are similar to yours - we could be more helpful here. I have nothing against gourd lamps really - and you can find really cheap knock-offs of the expensive Christopher Spitzmiller, Ralph Lauren Home, etc. originals. When I think of modern lamps, I immediately go to Italian companies like Flos, Foscarini and others. They are quite pricey as well - but there are knock-offs of everything if you decide that you like a style but do not want to spend that amount on a lamp. Check out the Flos website below and see if any of the styles appeal to you (copies are relatively cheap and plentiful):

[quote]my complex allows accent walls.

I had two friends who had an "accent wall" in each of two homes. The paint color didn't really "accent" very much, as everything they own is in some shade of beige or other. So, what *is* an accent wall?

Also, the Saladino lamp, the looks of which I like more than OP's orange lamps, looks so tall, the bulb would be seen by the person sitting in the chair.

Great commen r53! 🎊👍🏾👍🏾🎊

[quote] I am seeking a clean modern minimalist look

Yawn

I got a pair of beaten pewter lamps at a thrift shop years ago. The bases are round, about 16” diameter, with brass welding on the joins. I guess they might be 1950s but they are really quite timeless. I’ve used them in bedrooms, dining room, living room and hallway, changing up the shades to accommodate the requirements of color/light/style of the room. The most useful lamps I’ve ever had, all for the original $10 the pair and whatever new shades every 5 years or so has cost.

R57 Thirty years ago when I was starting out, an older woman I worked with gave me one of those lamps (she was moving her mother into a nursing home and was cleaning out her mother's house). I loved it so much....it went with everything. I finally had to get rid of it a few years ago when the wiring went bad. I have not found anything comparable. I bought a cute lamp on WayFair and the wiring on it lasted less than 3 years.

R58, why didn't you just have the lamp rewired?

R59 I had a beautiful antique floor lamp rewired and it nearly burned my place down.

Oh wow

Then you had someone incompetent do it, R58. It is actually easy enough to do it yourself if you have a bit of know how. Only the stupid throw out a lamp because it needs to be rewired. It's one wire with a socket and a plug. Man up.

Things move in cycles. Antiques may not be in fashion right now. However, give it time, give it time.

I like the advice posted earlier. Decorate for you, get what you like. Although I don't have orange gourd lamps, I certainly appreciate them.

Shopping second hand is good advice. So is looking for knock-offs of more expensive lamps.

Re-wiring is a very easy and usually a very SAFE practice. A reputable lamp shop will usually do this for $20 - $30 per lamp. If you end up with a fire hazard, then you went to a clueless moron. The "lamp" at the end of the day is just the vehicle that attaches a plug/socket to a bulb that illuminates. This should be a very simple and usually fail-safe process. You can do it yourself, but usually it cost very little to have an expert re-wire for you - which is the better bet.

This thread has surprised me by sort of getting under my skin. I've been told, repeatedly, that I have terrible taste, since I own lamps that have been passed down over several generations. Actually, a lot of my present furniture is very old, and has been passed down to me over several generations. Being told I have terrible taste actually doesn't bother me at all. But the idea that I should be replacing all my possessions every 10 or 20 years actually does sort of horrify me. It may well not make any sense to most of you. But my ancestors 'came over on the boat', with only their cardboard suitcases and the clothes on their backs, not speaking English. They purchased things that represented a certain level of dignity and success, which is what they came here to pursue. Many of the things they bought were aspirational to them. I've had most of the lamps re-wired over the years, and I replace the lampshades every now and then, to refresh and change the look a bit.

It almost sounds like some of you are looking to replace your shiplap now that it's gone out of style, and will have to replace whatever you use to replace it in another 20 years. Just decorate for yourselves. If buying new things is your style, fine. I know I'm an oddity, but maybe that's because I'm old, and I know my history, and I know exactly which of my ancestors originally owned each lamp and piece of furniture that I currently have. I would be very happy to own a nice, old gourd lamp, in any color. If the glaze had acquired a bit of crazing, that would only make it even more precious to me.

People are different

R65 - there is nothing wrong with you whatsoever. There was a period of time when the wealthiest elite prided themselves on furnishing their homes only with inherited furniture pieces (usually the finest made back in their day) that had been handed down from previous generations. IF they ever actually acquired anything new - it was custom commissioned from the best artisans of the time period. Mass produced junk would never have made the cut. Today, it is hard to find hand-made items (even the best brands seem to be farming out their quality). While this is no longer the way that most of us live today - your thought process is a sound one.

That time is long past

R67 is right. There was a story that a British politician (Alan Clark) insultingly described another politician (Michael Heseltine) as someone “who had to buy his own furniture”.

I like your advice R8. I happen to love a dash of color in a room. An orange lamp seems very reasonable to me.

Yeah orange lamps are very stylish and hearthy

What the hell is hearthy?

OP, get whatever lamp you want in any color or any style. Lamps are accessories although they can be a main focus. I deal in antiques and vintage items and lamps are big business. People love quirky, unusual, and beautiful lamps and when they tire of them someone else will take over their love and care. It's great if you inherit nice lamps but everyone is not so fortunate. Tastes change and lamps can refresh a room just as a new rug or pillows can.

[quote] This thread has surprised me by sort of getting under my skin. I've been told, repeatedly, that I have terrible taste, since I own lamps that have been passed down over several generations. Actually, a lot of my present furniture is very old, and has been passed down to me over several generations. Being told I have terrible taste actually doesn't bother me at all. But the idea that I should be replacing all my possessions every 10 or 20 years actually does sort of horrify me. It may well not make any sense to most of you. But my ancestors 'came over on the boat', with only their cardboard suitcases and the clothes on their backs, not speaking English. They purchased things that represented a certain level of dignity and success, which is what they came here to pursue. Many of the things they bought were aspirational to them. I've had most of the lamps re-wired over the years, and I replace the lampshades every now and then, to refresh and change the look a bit. It almost sounds like some of you are looking to replace your shiplap now that it's gone out of style, and will have to replace whatever you use to replace it in another 20 years. Just decorate for yourselves. If buying new things is your style, fine. I know I'm an oddity, but maybe that's because I'm old, and I know my history, and I know exactly which of my ancestors originally owned each lamp and piece of furniture that I currently have. I would be very happy to own a nice, old gourd lamp, in any color. If the glaze had acquired a bit of crazing, that would only make it even more precious to me.

Yes you're the only "old" datalounger hanging on to their dead relatives "aspirational" purchases for sentimental reasons and taking great offense to their own and their dead relative's taste level being challenged. Yep, you're the only one. Datalounge is mainly populated by 20 yr olds who come here to discuss bed linen and Connie Frances.

Grandpa Joe left me this one.

Here's a beauty from the 1920s.

I have a vintage lamp similar to this. She's a glamorous flapper dressed in fragile silks with an exquisitely painted face and mohair wig. I'd never use it though, she'd probably burst into flames when the switch is flipped. Got it from long gone elderly relative.

Thank you r73!

Who is Connie Frances?