Retro Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com A Buying Guide To Retro Table Lamps Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:28:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Decorative Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/decorative-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/decorative-table-lamps/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:29:02 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=282 There are usually two reasons for buying a table lamp. The first of those reasons is to provide a movable source of illumination to a particular part of a room. But if this were the only reason we wanted a table lamp then all lamps would look exactly the same. The other reason for buying a table lamp is to provide the room with a source of decoration, a piece that will catch the eye and add something to the room.

Decorative table lamps come in an astounding array of shapes, sizes, styles, materials and colors. They cater to every taste and to every decorating style so that no matter what design feature must be met there will be a lamp that is suitable.

A decorative table lamp may be outrageously ornate with extravagant detail work added to every part of the shade and base giving it an appearance that is impossible to ignore. A decorative table lamp can also be understated, cleverly supplying detail that is designed to complement other elements in the room. The lamp that you buy will depend on your own eye for detail and what you feel is too much.

One of the better known types of decorative table lamps are stained glass lamps such as Tiffany lamps with beautifully designed lamp shades matched with elaborate lamp bases made from brass, copper or bronze. The lamps may either feature sweeping curves that are classically Victorian in their influence or they may feature more straight lines that speak more of a style known as Mission style. Both kinds of lamp will add enormous drama to any room into which they are placed.

When shopping for a decorative table lamp one must consider the rest of the room that it will sit in. Whether the lamp will overpower the rest of the furniture is a consideration that must be addressed with some serious thought. Just as important is ensuring that the lamp is not going to get lost among a jumble of competing decorative pieces.

The task of buying a decorative table lamp is not a process that should be rushed. Fortunately there are many sources, both online and off, that will allow you to see all kinds of decorative lamp styles.

For an example of a particularly attractive style of decorative table lamp you can look at some torchiere table lamps.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/decorative-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Kathy Ireland Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/kathy-ireland-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/kathy-ireland-table-lamps/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:53:18 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=277 One of the most influential designers in recent times is Kathy Ireland and the range of table lamps that have been produced bearing the Kathy Ireland name is impressive to say the least. These lamps display a timeless elegance that borrows a lot of the important features of the art deco era and brings them into a contemporary style.

Also apparent in some of the Kathy Ireland table lamps are hints from the retro era with use of the pop funk that made the retro style such fun and eclectic. There are plenty of surprises when it comes to the materials used in the creation of the lamp bases with wood, wrought iron, faux silver and brushed nickel or steel commonly found in extremely creative combinations.

Below you can see just a few of the Kathy Ireland designs that are available to buy.

The Kathy Ireland table lamp collection crosses all sorts of table lamp functions from accent lamps to buffet lamps to highly decorative feature pieces that are made to take pride of place in a themed room. Although there is a predominance of white cotton lamp shades, either plain or with decorative embellishment, you can also find unusually shaped or textured lamp shades among the collection too.

For coordinating the rest of a room it’s hard to beat a lamp shade that comes out of the Kathy Ireland collection. You will be particularly likely to find a stylish lamp in the art deco range with some of the most gorgeous examples of the era represented.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/kathy-ireland-table-lamps/feed/ 0 White Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/white-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/white-table-lamps/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:58:25 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=238 Sometimes you want furniture in a particular style to conform to an overall look that you are trying to achieve. Other times it’s about the size of the object that you want to place in the room. With table lamps you will be looking for a lamp that will fit in with the existing décor and be hoping to complement what is already there. In the same vein you may want to buy a lamp of a specific colour. The most common colour for a table lamp is white and there is no surprise about that, white table lamps will complement many room designs and will fit in with a multitude of colour schemes.

Whether you want to buy a table lamp with a white lamp shade or a white base or both, there is an untold range of choices open to you in all kinds of styles. Ceramic lamp bases and alabaster table lamps give you a couple of types of lamps that are particularly attractive.

White table lamps give you a traditional look of a vintage lamp that has been recently manufactured but the style can just as easily be considered modern and progressive. A predominantly white table lamp can also be embellished with detail work or painted designs.

When placed in pairs, white table lamps provide an even more elegant look as well as creating fine balance within the room. Thanks to the neutral nature of the color these lamps will fit in nicely with a light decor. Or, if the color scheme is a bold one, white table lamps may be useful as the accent piece in the room.

A white table lamp provides clean lines and a sense of style that is reflected into the room in which it is placed. You will be able to buy a contemporary white table lamp of your choosing at any of the major retail lighting stores or a vintage or retro white table lamp by browsing antique stores.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/white-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Antique Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/antique-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/antique-table-lamps/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:27:28 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=235 The beauty and elegance of lamps that have been treasured over many years are much sought after by today’s collectors. Many lamps tell a story in their design, the materials used, the decorative features that have been added to them and the craftsmen who have done the work. All of these factors combine to form the background of the antique table lamps that are for sale in antique stores everywhere.

Over the decades lamps have become more than necessary sources of illumination in a room, they have also become highly decorative works. The use of finely wrought antique table lamps to add eye appeal to a room has taken over as the main reason for buying them. In a lot of cases, the older the lamp the more appeal it generates.

Depending on the details of the features mentioned a lamp may be worth many hundreds of dollars. This provenance is crucial and verifying it can be a difficult job, best left to an expert in the field.

If you simply want to buy an antique table lamp because of the way it looks or the fact that it will match other pieces of furniture in the room you may not be quite so concerned about the lamp’s history.

As a decorator item, the antique lamp does not necessarily have to be in its original condition. Some of the older lamps such as brass table lamps  look less than impressive thanks to the ravages of time. This is where a skilled restoration expert comes in. A careful job of polishing and replacing missing parts can bring a tired old lamp back to life in great style.

Choose from the following impressive array of antique table lamps for sale.

Since the times when lamps consisted of candles and then gas before electricity took over lamps have been a necessary part of everyday life. For most of us, apart from the use of desk lamps, table lamps are now seen more as decorative items that are sometimes used as soft accent lamps rather than as the primary source of illumination.

Whether you are a student of the Victorian era and appreciate the lamps that represent those times or prefer the American art deco style, there are many table lamps that are now classed as antiques from each of these times. In fact original retro table lamps would also be seen as antiques nowadays.

Some of the most impressive types of antique lamps are the more decorative table lamps.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/antique-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Brass Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/brass-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/brass-table-lamps/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:18:45 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=212 One of the more traditional types of table lamps that you can find when you go out to buy a nice set of accent pieces are brass table lamps. Brass is a metal that has been in popular use for many centuries and still provides the perfect finish for something as important as a table lamp.

A brass lamp in a newly decorated room, with the soft glow that comes off the metal finish can make a substantial impact to the entire room. Because brass is such a popular material when it comes to all different types of furniture, it can be used to complement other brass items in the room without standing out itself. This is an important attribute because sometimes it gets too much when every piece of furniture in the room is fighting for attention.

An important thing to remember if you buy a brass table lamp is that it is a metal that requires regular maintenance. Brass can become tarnished, particularly if you neglect it over a long period of time. For the best results you should be giving it a light polish every so often so that the soft burnished shine remains. To get good results you don’t necessarily need any special cleaners with a simple mixture of water and vinegar enough to keep your lamp looking good.

Brass Table Lamp 1  Brass Table Lamp 2   Brass Table Lamp 3

There is quite a range of lamps made of brass which will leave you with a choice of either buying a highly decorative lamp or a simple, plainly designed piece. As you can see from the selection displayed above, no matter what type of brass lamp you buy they will attract provide a special focal point in any room in which they sit.

For more lamp ideas head back to the Retro Table Lamps home page.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/brass-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Bedside Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/bedside-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/bedside-table-lamps/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:51:10 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=209 For some people the choice of bedside table lamp is simply a matter of choosing function over form, not worrying terribly much what the lamp looks like as long as it allows them to read in bed. For others, it is very important that their bedside table lamp matches, or at least, complements the existing décor in the room. It’s all a matter of personal taste and there are many different styles of bedside table lamps available that will cater for all of these tastes.

Generally speaking when you buy bedside table lamps you will be buying a matching pair, assuming you are going to place them in the master bedroom on either side of a double bed. Of course this is not going to always be the case, particularly with changing design trends and a desire to create a look that departs from what is considered the norm.

Select one of these bedside table lamps to get more information.

When trying to decide on the bedside table lamps that you want to add to your bedroom you should first consider the primary reason for buying them. If you are an avid reader and are going to be sitting up late into the night reading your favourite mysteries, then you will be best advised to buy a table lamp that can be adjusted so that the light is directed onto your book.

If you are trying to add to the design style of the room using a specific type of lamp, then you will be after a more decorative table lamp that simply throws ambient light upwards.

Once you have chosen the perfect bedside table lamps you will have to decide where they are going to be positioned. Again, this will depend on the way they are going to be used. Decorative lamps are probably going to be positioned further away from the bed than those that will be used as a directional light.

How your bedside table lamps are chosen and what look you are after is a very personal decision and may change even while you are out shopping for them. Take all factors into consideration knowing that there is a huge variety of lamps that can be used as bedside table lamps.

Brass table lamps make a fine choice as a bedside table lamp.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/bedside-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Beaded Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/beaded-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/beaded-table-lamps/#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:21:48 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=201 Beaded table lamps mean different things to different people. Some people immediately think of the lamp shade and the possibility of beaded crystals hanging from the shade to create a magical lighting effect. This is certainly a design style that has been used to good effect and there is an example displayed below of a lamp that has a beaded lampshade.

However the more commonly seen beaded table lamp involves the lamp base and the beaded design which has large beads piled on top of one another to form the base itself. This is a very unusual but stylish lamp base design and makes great use of lines, shapes and colors.

The beads used to form the lamp base may by made from different sized beads that get smaller the higher they go, or the beads may be exactly the same size all the way up to form a more linear design. Another effective design is to use oval shaped beads that sit nose to tail as they form the lamp stand.

Whatever method is employed to build a beaded table lamp, the beads themselves may be made from plastic, metal or glass, each of which makes very creative use of beads.

beaded table lamp 1 beaded table lamp 2 beaded table lamp 3

The designers of the retro era were very fond in using whatever unusual materials they could get their hands on and the appeal of beads in the construction of both the lamp shade and the lamp base was particularly popular. Consequently there are many examples of retro beaded table lamps that would be effective today for use in a retro themed room.

For more lamp ideas head back to the Retro Table Lamps home page.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/beaded-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Tiffany Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/tiffany-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/tiffany-table-lamps/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:35:37 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=192 When Louis Comfort Tiffany first decided to use pieces of stained glass to create a new type of lamp shade he was actually creating the first lamp shades of a style that would be come exceedingly popular for years to come. These pieces of glass that had been cast off while making a stained glass window were the start of a fabulous new design style that was lauded for its innovation. The result is now known by the term Tiffany lamps and the specific types of lamps that we are going to discuss here are Tiffany table lamps.

These types of lamp shades are made by fusing together pieces of glass with colored enamels and then firing them to give you the resulting panels. With the distinctive stained glass lampshades sitting atop some impressive looking lamp bases, Tiffany table lamps have justified the reason why many people track them down.



tiffany-lamp-1 tiffany-lamp-2 tiffany-lamp-3


 

There is no limit to the number of different designs that can be used in the creation of a stained glass table lamp and Tiffany has made sure that the range is immense. Whether you want to buy a Camel Pyramid Tiffany lamp, a Dale Tiffany lamp or a Quoizel Tiffany lamp they all come in a range of colors that are suitable for all kinds of décor. Another style that is particularly attractive is the Tiffany range of beaded table lamps that are well worth browsing through.

That being said, I think the Tiffany lamp aesthetic is most suitable for a more traditional room that makes use of antique furniture. The soft glow that emanates from the diffused light shining through a classic Tiffany table lamp is perfectly suited for this particular style that represents a previous era. The retro era is nicely represented by Tiffany table lamps with versions designed and manufactured during these years that are classic era pieces.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/tiffany-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Mica Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/mica-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/mica-table-lamps/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:39:45 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=182 One of the more attractive types of old style table lamps that you can find is the mica table lamp, a lamp that has an amber colored lamp shade. These types of lamps throw a warm glow of illumination across the room thanks to the caramel-colored lampshade that diffuses the light.

These lamps are old-style lamps often made with a black iron frame to offset the color of the mica that dominates. The more common components for a mica table lamp is solid copper including copper rivets. The color of copper complements the color of the mica shades beautifully. These types of lamps were brought to prominence by Dirk Van Erp in the early 1900s.

The mica lamp shade fits perfectly with a dark or brushed metal lamp base giving it the classical antique appearance. Below are some examples of the beauty that can be captured in a mica table lamp.

You can find mica table lamps in the classic and traditional styles by which most of us are familiar. When looking to buy a mica table lamp you might be after styles known as beanpot, trumpet, onion mica table lamps or mushroom mica table lamps. The names given to these types of lamps refer to the shape of the lamp base.

These lamps are available from specific eras as well and can be classified as mission lamps, modern lamps or traditional western lamps. Each of these types of lamps will fit perfectly on a desk or table in a rustic or traditional room and the glow that emanates from them sets a cozy mood.

 

Mica Beanpot Table Lamp

Mica Beanpot Table Lamp
 

Mica Mission Table Lamp

Mica Mission Table Lamp
 

mica-mushroom-lamp

Mica Mushroom Table Lamp
 

Mica Trumpet Table Lamp

Mica Trumpet Table Lamp


There are many other beautiful styles of lamps made with a range of finishes that look just as effective as the table lamps shown above.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/mica-table-lamps/feed/ 0 Alabaster Table Lamps http://retrotablelamps.com/alabaster-table-lamps/ http://retrotablelamps.com/alabaster-table-lamps/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:37:50 +0000 Admin http://retrotablelamps.com/?p=175 One of the more interesting types of table lamps available in stores is the alabaster table lamp. We are so used to seeing lamps with darkened lamp bases that when a kind of lamp shows up with a white base it attracts your attention. These lamps are beautifully decorative pieces that will really stand out in most rooms.

The white finish of an alabaster table lamp makes it a piece that will go with many other kinds of furnishings or it will also blend in nicely with a richly ornate setting. Whether you are after an accent lamp that is made with an urn base or a column table lamp the alabaster finish gives it an appearance that will truly catch the eye.

Choose from the alabaster table lamps below to get more information

The stone from which it is made is a readily workable stone that can be crafted into all sorts of decorative shapes. Most often the lamp bases have been hand carved from the alabaster stone so that they are works of art as well as functional objects. Either as a decorative end table object or placed beside the bed, this type of a lamp will enhance the beauty of any room.

alabaster-table-lamp-1 alabaster-table-lamp-2 alabaster-table-lamp-3


 

The bulk of the alabaster lamps that became popular followed the art deco style of rounded flowing lines. The colors displayed through the use of alabaster are also typical art deco style. However the use of alabaster also carried through into the retro era so that it is possible to find some alabaster table lamps that represent the retro era.

]]> http://retrotablelamps.com/alabaster-table-lamps/feed/ 0