Listen—we’ve all fallen prey to the sort of lighting lethargy that keeps our hastily-purchased mass market table lamps on our bedside. A fluorescent task lamp might still hover over the couch, a garish flush mount shedding its harsh light. So why a vintage lamp? Because it indicates you thought about your lighting instead of going the route of a last-minute, add-to-cart impulse buy. This was deliberately searched and purchased. This was a choice made with historical design context in mind, whether it’s midcentury modern, Art Deco, or Hollywood Regency. A carefully considered piece of lighting shows your home decor chops—you’ve gone above and beyond the look of the room to consider the vibe of the room. A magnificent vintage piece communicates all that. We rounded up a few retailer options to find just the thing you need for a living room revamp, a ceiling light overhaul, or a lampshade upgrade.
Our Top Retailers for Vintage Lamps:
- Best for Vintage Rarities: 1st Dibs
- Best for Keyword Searching and Local Sellers: Etsy
- Best for Sleeper Hits: eBay
- Best for Vintage Reissues: Design Within Reach
- Best for Midcentury Modern Picks: Rejuvenation
- Best for Antique Murano Glass Finds: Abask
We pull from 1stDibs regularly when shopping out our various home tours, where we can find the iconic works sprinkled throughout the homes of celebrities, designers, and celebrity designers. A Charlotte Perriand sconce indicates at least one substantial coffee book on the oeuvre of Le Corbusier is nearby, and a reissue of the 1960’s Gelato lamp by Italian designer Carlo Nason’s are just the tip of the iceberg. In other words: Design dorks will delight in this catalog of artifacts and iconic pieces.
