lamplight

lamplight

this week i spent every night with a different lamp. six of them, scattered through the house, each one older than i expected. i didn't turn any of them off until i had to.

akari

A small cream ceramic art toy figure stands beside a glowing Noguchi Akari paper floor lamp, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1951, in a dusk-lit mid-century modern living room. Ceramic art toy collectible · designer toy · MCM interior · mid-century modern decor · Japanese lighting design · Akari lamp.

his name is akari — japanese for "light." isamu noguchi made him in 1951, washi paper stretched over bamboo, nothing underneath to hide behind. i don't know why something so old still feels like it's the only one awake with me.

arco

A small cream ceramic art toy figure peers over a sofa arm toward a glowing Arco floor lamp, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962, in a dark mid-century modern living room. Ceramic art toy collectible · designer toy · MCM interior · mid-century modern decor · Italian lighting design · Arco lamp.

his name is arco. castiglioni bent the steel in 1962 so the light could reach the middle of a room without a cord ever touching the floor. i watched it from the edge of the sofa instead of underneath it.

tizio

A small cream ceramic art toy figure stands beside a Tizio task lamp, designed by Richard Sapper in 1972, lit over a teak desk in a dim mid-century modern room. Ceramic art toy collectible · designer toy · MCM interior · mid-century modern decor · Italian industrial design · Tizio lamp.

his name is tizio. richard sapper ran the current through the arms themselves in 1972 — no wire in sight, nothing to get tangled in. it was the easiest hour of the whole week.

ph5

A small cream ceramic art toy figure stands beneath a glowing PH5 pendant lamp, designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958, above an empty round teak dining table in a mid-century modern room. Ceramic art toy collectible · designer toy · MCM interior · mid-century modern decor · Danish lighting design · PH5 lamp.

her name is ph5. henningsen stacked five shades in 1958 so you'd never see the bulb, only the glow it leaves behind. i stood under her and the table still felt empty.

nelson bubble

A small cream ceramic art toy figure pauses in a dark hallway doorway, lit by a Nelson Bubble lamp designed by George Nelson in 1947, glowing in a mid-century modern room beyond. Ceramic art toy collectible · designer toy · MCM interior · mid-century modern decor · American lighting design · Nelson Bubble lamp.

his name is bubble. george nelson sprayed plastic over bare wire in 1947 and the whole thing glows through, not around. i stood in the doorway a second longer than i needed to before going in.

anglepoise

A small cream ceramic art toy figure stands at the edge of a light beam from a fallen Anglepoise lamp, designed by George Carwardine in 1932, on a dark terrazzo floor in a mid-century modern room. Ceramic art toy collectible · designer toy · MCM interior · mid-century modern decor · industrial lighting design · Anglepoise lamp.

his name is anglepoise. carwardine borrowed the springs from car suspension in 1932 so the arm could hold any angle on its own. tonight it's on its side on the floor, and i still haven't gone any closer.

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