Floor Lamps & Lights

Today, floor lamps are a practical staple in many modern homes, but that wasn’t always the case. Floor lamps evolved from candelabras and torche?res, which featured candles at the top of a sturdy base, and first appeared in France towards the end of the seventeenth century. As floor lamps became more popular, the bases and shades became more decorative than their purely functional predecessors.

Modern and antique floor lamps can be found in a variety of styles including Art Deco, Victorian, mid-century modern, Regency, Italian, Neoclassical, Queen Anne, and Venetian. The mid-century era was a particularly active time in the design of floor lamps. Several iconic styles including the Arco, one of the most iconic pieces of lighting design ever, developed during the mid-century movement.

Quick Facts

• The oft-copied Arco floor lamp, designed in 1962 by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, is comprised of a smooth metal arc rising from a sturdy marble base with a globe-like metal shade
• Authentic antique Tiffany floor lamps, while somewhat rare, offer exceptional leaded-glass shades in both downward and upward facing orientations
• Two 19th century replicas of giltwood and bronze bespoke torche?res commissioned by Louis XV in 1770 for a masked ball recently sold for over $400,000