Cover photo: Chapo by Philippe Starck per FLOS – Ph. Courtesy FLOS
The table lamp with a shade is as simple as it gets, but its strength lies in its ability to diffuse soft, delicate light and prevent glare. Its origins are uncertain—no single person can claim its invention—making it a perfect example of a bottom-up design that combines form and function.
The Stories and Styles Behind Table Lamps and Shades
Traditionally, table lamps feature fabric shades. Whether white, colourful, cotton, or linen—smooth or adorned with tassels—these shades define the lamp’s style and soften its glow. Over time, shades have evolved with innovative materials: glass (like opaline or multicoloured Tiffany models of the early 20th century), paper for oriental-inspired designs, and recently, metals and plastics.Post-WWII, table lamps and shades became a playground for designers. Shapes, proportions, and materials give these timeless pieces a fresh character.
Here’s our curated selection of 10 iconic table lamps with shades, starting with Chapo by Flos (opening photo), a design that is no longer in production. With its whimsical design, where the shade is replaced by a Panama hat, this lamp showcases Philippe Starck’s playful and experimental spirit.
Fontana, Fontanaarte
Designed by Max Ingrand in 1954, it mirrors the silhouette of a classic bedside lamp. Made entirely of satin-finish blown glass, it features dual lighting that allows separate illumination of the shade and base. A brass edition is also available.
Poldina, Zafferano
A pioneer of battery-powered lamps, the compact Poldina revolutionized table lamps with shades by bringing their soft light anywhere—even to the centre of a romantic dinner table. Playful and colourful, it comes in endless hues and patterns.
Buorgie, Kartell
Transparent polycarbonate, now enhanced with sustainable materials, reimagines the baroque table lamp reminiscent of “grandma’s house”. Designed by Ferruccio Laviani, its pleated shade creates dazzling light reflections. Its adjustable height—68, 73, or 78 cm—adds functionality.
Costanza, Luceplan
Paolo Rizzatto’s Costanza is timeless. A telescopic metal structure supports a polycarbonate shade sold flat, then rolled and clipped into place—an iconic gesture. Touch control adjusts light intensity across four levels, and a smaller Costanzina version is available.
Miss K, Flos
Designed by Philippe Starck in 2003, this lamp plays with transparency. An opaline inner diffuser is enveloped by a polycarbonate shade, creating a see-through fabric effect with its unique surface treatment.
Alibaby, Karman
This ceramic bedside lamp echoes early 20th-century carved wooden lamps. Its linen shade adds a modern yet timeless touch.
AJ Table, Louis Poulsen
In 1960, Sergio Mazza designed an elegant, innovative lamp featuring a marble base, an opaline crystal bell-shaped shade, and a hand-turned nickel-plated structure. Alfa was Artemide’s first-ever catalogue entry and remains unchanged to this day.
Alfa, Artemide
Era il 1960 quando Sergio Mazza pensò a una lampada da tavolo elegante e innovativa, con base in marmo e paralume a campana in cristallo opalino uniti da una struttura in metallo nichelato tornita a mano. Unica nel suo genere, viene prodotta identica ancora oggi. Una curiosità: Alfa è la prima lampada entrata a far parte del catalogo Artemide nell’anno della sua fondazione.
Switch, Oluce
The Japanese studio Nendo reimagined the table lamp with a shade using modern materials and proportions. Its cylindrical metal shade doubles as a light diffuser and an “on/off” switch—simply rotate it to control the lamp. Form and function merge seamlessly.
Palpebra, Davide Groppi
«This lamp evokes the magic of waking up—the brief moment before fully opening your eyes when light filters in softly». Designed by Federico Delrosso, this small metal bedside lamp delicately reinterprets the shaded table lamp.
