10 Midcentury-Modern Floor Lamps We Love
Illuminate your home with a classic or two.
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Great design transcends trends. Case in point: These exquisite floor lamps made their debut in the midcentury era, and they’ve been staples ever since. Scroll on to see the investment pieces that will still look good after another 70 years have passed.
Upon moving to California in 1940, Swedish architect Greta Magnusson Grossman began combining her European training with a West Coast aesthetic, adding a sense of play. Her Grasshopper Floor Lamp (1948) resembles its namesake in form, with a lithe tubular steel frame and elongated conical shade.
Born in Mainz, Germany, in 1924, Bernard Schottlander fled to England as a Jewish refugee in 1939. He worked as a welder for a short stint during the war before delving into sculpture at Leeds College of Art and the Anglo-French art center in St. John’s Wood.
Designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark, the AJ Floor Lamp from Louis Poulsen modern classic features an asymmetrical shape and tiltable head. The sleek, understated design ensures this floor lamp can complement many different established motifs.
The PD2 Floor Lamp is designed in 1955 by Barba Corsini to be part of the interior decoration in the attics of one of the world's most prominent buildings, La Pedrera in Barcelona.
Serge Mouille’s Floor Lamp (1952) has a kinetic, sculptural aesthetic that evokes a sense of movement in space. All the Mouille hallmarks are here: the sensual form of the reflector, the masterful metalwor, the refined lines of the steel tubing, and the washer and six-sided screw hardware.
While outfitting his office, architect and Herman Miller design director George Nelson discovered a silk-covered Swedish hanging lamp that he coveted but found too expensive.
Inspired by a streetlight, brothers Achille and Pier Castiglioni created the Arco Floor Lamp (1962), which provides overhead lighting without requiring ceiling suspension. It features a polished shade on a swiveling arm for precise lighting control.
The Cobra Collection (1950) is one of the most iconic by Greta Grossman, taking its name from the shape of its oval shade, which is reminiscent of a cobra's flared hood.
Created by Greta M. Grossman, the G-10 Floor Lamp (1950s) is marked by an industrial look, with a roughly surfaced lampshade and clean lines. But at the same time, it has a soft and elegant silhouette reminiscent of a woman’s hat.
A 300-watt car headlamp was the inspiration behind Toio (1962), designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. The Toio was part of the brothers’ ready-made objects series and included the use of parts of a fishing pole in addition to a headlamp imported from the United States.
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