Mid-Century Modern Lighting: Sputniks, Arc Lamps and Bubble Pendants

Mid-century modern lighting covers the designs of the 1950s and 1960s that buyers still seek: Sputnik-style starburst chandeliers, arc floor lamps such as the Castiglionis’ 1962 Arco, and George Nelson’s Bubble lamps from 1952. Many are still made under license; vintage pieces and “inspired by” versions sell alongside them, so check which one a listing offers.

Why does a deco site cover mid-century?

Because a buyer who furnishes with one era often mixes in the next, and many vintage listings blur the two. The eras comparison sets out the timeline; this guide covers the lamps.

Sputnik and starburst chandeliers

A Sputnik chandelier is a central hub with straight arms radiating in every direction, each ending in a bulb or a small shade. Flos describes Gino Sarfatti’s 2097, “originally conceived in 1958,” as a chandelier that “redefines the traditional Venetian chandelier with a minimalist approach.” Sarfatti designed it at Arteluce, the company he founded in 1939, which Flos acquired in 1973, and Flos still makes it.

Vintage starbursts from the period and newer versions both sell under the Sputnik name. Count the arms and check that every socket and any globes are present; arms and glass are often sold separately.

Sputnik chandeliers

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Arc floor lamps and the Arco

The arc floor lamp puts a hanging light over a table or sofa from a base on the floor. The best known is the Arco, “designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962,” according to Flos. Flos says the design answered “the need for a suspension lamp that could shine its light on a table without requiring holes to be drilled in the ceiling,” and that the heavy marble base “is in fact nothing more than a counterweight” for the arched metal stem.

Flos also calls the Arco “one of the most imitated design icons ever.” That is the key point when you shop. An Arco is made by Flos; an arc lamp from another maker is a lamp in the same shape. Both are legitimate purchases, and a clear listing says which it is. The same brothers designed the Toio floor lamp in 1962, which the Metropolitan Museum holds; its materials include an automobile headlight bulb and a transformer.

Measure before you buy an arc lamp: the reach of the arm, the height at the top of the arc and the footprint of the base all have to fit the room and the furniture beneath.

Nelson Bubble lamps and pendants

Herman Miller says George Nelson “first designed the series in 1952, when he came across a Swedish hanging lamp that he wanted to acquire for his office,” and made his own when the price proved too high. Herman Miller sells the series today in shapes such as saucer, ball, cigar and pear, with a steel understructure.

A new Bubble pendant from Herman Miller is the licensed design. Vintage examples and similar pendants from other makers also sell; ask for the maker’s label and check the shell for tears and the frame for bends before you buy.

Mid-century modern lamps and pendants

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Mushroom and dome lamps

Sellers call many dome-topped table lamps “mushroom lamps.” Two museum pieces show where the shape comes from:

The V&A notes that the Atollo won the Compasso d’Oro award in 1979. Both are later than the 1950s core of mid-century design, which is one reason dates in listings deserve a second look.

Licensed, vintage or “inspired by”?

Three kinds of lamp share the same names in listings. A licensed lamp is made today by the company that holds the design, such as Flos for the Arco and the 2097 or Herman Miller for the Bubble lamps. A vintage lamp is a period example, sometimes by the original maker and sometimes by a contemporary one. An “inspired by” lamp borrows the shape from another maker.

None of these is a problem in itself. The problem is a listing that blurs them. If a title uses a designer’s name, look for the maker in the description and the photos, and price the lamp by what it actually is.

How to buy mid-century lighting

Decide first whether you want the original design, a vintage example or the look. Then:

• Ask for the maker. A Flos, Herman Miller or Artemide piece should carry a label; a listing that names only a designer may be an “inspired by” lamp.
• Check the parts. Starburst arms, globes and shades go missing; count them against a photo of the complete fixture.
• Plan the bulbs. Multi-arm fixtures take many bulbs. The FTC notes that an LED giving the 800 lumens of a 60-watt incandescent uses about 9 watts, which keeps a many-armed fixture’s load low.
• Plan the wiring. Hardwired pendants and chandeliers go to a qualified electrician; plug-in floor lamps need a sound cord.

For desk and table lamps from the decades before, see the art deco table and floor lamp guide. For a mid-century collector’s gift, see the lighting gift guide. Back to the art deco lighting guide.