Light Up Your Life!

I've come across some amazing light fixtures over the years and can't get over how many different companies and great designers there are out there. I thought I'd post a few notables that I've found lately (including some good old standbys). I've narrowed it down to a theme to keep this post from being fourteen pages long...that theme is: fixtures that arc overhead, seeming to hover over you to light up your space without invading it. Hope you enjoy!




Now this is the quintessential arc floor lamp that everyone (and their mother) has seen everywhere. This iconic piece was designed by the great Achille Castiglioni and has been gracing homes since the '60's. You can purchase the Arco Floor Lamp at many places including Design Within Reach.




This is another widely recognized fixture designed by Jean Prouve in the 50's. We used this in a loft project a few years ago and it really lends itself to that type of interior brilliantly with it's simple form and industrial quality. It's called the Potence Lamp and you can find it at Vitra Home.




I just stumbled across this incredible fixture the other day and I'm desperately trying to incorporate it into one of our current projects. I love that it implies a perfect circle where as most of the arc lamps you see do not. I definitely think it's one of the coolest arc lamps available today. I don't even know where to purchase it yet (but I will, I will). You can see the Troja Floor Lamp along with other cool fixtures at HansandFranz.





The Twiggy floor lamp came out a few months ago from one of my favorite lighting companies, Foscarini Lighting. It comes in great, primary colors as well as black and white. I love the delicate quality and the metal shade. You can purchase this through Lightology in Chicago.




For a more affordable alternative to the Twiggy lamp, CB2 just introduced their version, The Bauhaus Arc Floor Lamp (which I don't think is as successful of a design but still pretty great). It comes in white as well as olivine which I've been considering for my own place. Hmmm...




The Balance Floor Lamp from Vibia Lighting is another fixture we've used before. This fixture has a counter-balanced arm (hence the name) and a fabric shade and I think it's a nice alternative to the harder finishes and lines of the fixtures above. You can purchase this through YLighting.




Yet another option is the Steel Arc Family of light fixtures from &Costa Lighting. This is one cool line of fixtures with many different options including a wall hung version and standard arc floor lamp. There are different shade options made from wire mesh as well as an interesting "lozenge" shaped version featuring thin filaments woven over a wire frame. Tres cool! You can pick these and other fixtures up at Spark Lighting.




Last but not least, I thought I would include a collection of great vintage fixtures from one of my favorite sites on the net for antiques, 1st Dibs. I can spend hours on this site which is resource for antiques around the globe. There is no way I can include all the designers of the lamps above or even where to purchase them, but if you search for "floor lamps" under "lighting" you will be able to find these and more!! Happy shopping!!