Retro Lighting primarily refers to lighting accessories made during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The style of the Tiffany lamp plays a prominent part in the retro lighting look, although it was first invented by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1899, when he got the idea of using stained glass pieces to make a lampshade while observing the construction of a stained glass window and seeing the discarded pieces of stained glass. Since then, more than a century later, stained glass lighting accessories continue to captivate our heart and indulge our senses.

Pieces of stained glass allow for the possibility of great eye-catching designs. They also allow the use of thousands of different colors and can make practically every design unique by the choice of color used. Whether they are lit or not, they provide a touch of art and elegance to any setting. They add color and vibrancy to any corner of the room they may be placed in or to the ceiling which is usually drab and single colored. When they are lit, they provide a soft and subdued light and soften up the entire room while providing a fantastic sprinkling of color. When they are lit during the day, they make artistic patterns on the walls or floor around them. No matter where they are placed, they add a little more life to that part of the room.

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Retro Modern Squares Ceiling Light Shade Fixture

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RETRO ART DECO TILE TOP LAMP TABLE,3-LIGHT FIXTURES,OLD

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Antique Art Deco Light Fixture Vintage Retro Lighting

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Vintage Ceiling Shade Light Shade Retro Heavy Glass

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Retro Blue Green Swag Light Vintage Ceiling Fixture 70s

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RETRO MOD CHROME BALL FANTASIA FIBER OPTIC LIGHT LAMP

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There are a variety of lighting accessories in the retro style. Wall lamps, floor lamps, table lamps and even ceiling lamps all make striking features while serving the functional purpose of lighting the room. You could use a different accessory in different parts of the house to create a unified yet vibrant theme.

This first Tiffany lamp was created in 1899 with a bronze base. These lamps became so popular and the name Tiffany came to be so well associated with stained glass lamps, that now even ordinary stained glass lamps that are not designed by Tiffany himself have come to be called Retro Tiffany Lamps, even though they never really go out of style!

Retro Tiffany Lamps are made by fusing colored enamels to pieces of glass and firing them at a very high temperature of up to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit. The most important feature to look for in a Retro Tiffany lamp is that the colors on the lampshade are transparent enough for the light to shine through them and that the colors ought never to fade. The beauty of a Retro Tiffany lamp lies in the fact that there are thousands of colors that can be made to use in this piece of stained glass art. Similarly, there are thousands of designs that you can make with the pieces of stained glass. In fact, it is now possible to custom make a Retro Tiffany lamp in the design of your choice.

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Tiffany Style Stained Glass Art Deco Lamp "Golden Daze"

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Dale Tiffany Dragonfly Banker Lamp Light Green NEW!

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Tiffany Mission Style Accent Table Lamp Art Glass NEW

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JOEY LOGANO #20 TIFFANY-STYLE NASCAR TABLE LAMP - NEW!

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Antique "Tiffany" Style Fruit Lamp

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Tiffany Style Stained Glass Lamp "Dragonfly Lagoon"

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Retro Tiffany lamps provide soft diffused lighting and can be matched with practically any décor. On the other hand, if you use a retro tiffany lamp during the day, the colors of the stained glass will make interesting patterns on your wall or floor and give it a very artistic look.

Retro Table Lampshade Types

Tiered Lampshades

They are also known as the “double decker,” “triple decker,” and “birthday cake” lampshade styles. The regular two-tier is an appropriate replacement lampshade on most mid-century lamp designs. The reverse (or “upside-down”) two-tier lampshade is especially suited to retro/modern, atomic, and tiki lamps, and on many Danish Modern and retro-influenced contemporary lamps as well.

Atomic Tiered Lampshades

Atomic tiered lampshades are appropriate for the wilder fifites atomic, Jetsons, googie, biomorphic,and tiki lamps. The atomic three-tier shades also make great hanging lamps.

Cone Lampshades

Cone lamp shades are possibly the most common types of retro lamp shade that was made and used during the 1950s and 1960s. Certainly its the type of lamp shade that I remember seeing the most often, both in my parent’s home and their friends. The cone lamp shade can either be a simple plain design with a plain color, or it can be funked up with a patterned print or trimmed with fringing or other popular accessories. Cone lamp shades were just as effective for desk lamps as they were for the larger floor lamps and often made a design statement. More information about these types of lampshades can be found at Lamp Shades Central.

Drum Lampshades

The drum lamp shade was similar to the cone lamp shade except that rather than tapering from a large opening at the bottom to a narrower opening at the top, the drum lamp shade maintained a cylyndrical uniformity in its size. The drum shaped lamp shade was a popular floor lamp design in retro style and was also used as a ceiling hanging lamp shade too.

Glass Lampshades

Glass lamp shades were a more understated type of lamp shade that were also more popularly used as ceiling light fixtures. The glass light shade features either a bubbled surface or a patterned segmented design. Whether used as a floor lamp or as a ceiling fixture, the glass lamp shade spoke of a refined elegance in taste.

The kinds of lamp shades used to make retro table lamps are repeated in the design of retro floor lamps and it is a good idea that once you’ve bought your retro table lamps you hop over and pick up a floor lamp to match.

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RETRO ART DECO TILE TOP LAMP TABLE,3-LIGHT FIXTURES,OLD

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IKEA Modern Table Lamp - Retro Green Student Decor Gift

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Kids Korner One Light Retro Shoe Table Lamp

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Retro Modern Contemporary Table Lamps Pair, Set/2 Green

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Vintage Retro Black Horse Table Lamp Mid-Century Modern

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Retro Modern Contemporary Table Lamps Pair, Set/2 Green

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From the cone shape lamp shade on a brushed nickel lamp stand to the space-age chrome spheres sitting on an adjustable lamp stand, the diversity of retro fashion runs right through the manufacture of lamps.

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LS-80880C/CLR Lucentio Floor Lamp in Chrome

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LS-81167 Meara Floor Lamp in Charcoal

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LS-80955 Messina Floor Lamp in Polished Steel

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LS-81077 Nisha One Light Floor Lamp in Aged Bronze

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C61120 Goldana Two Light Floor Lamp in Dark Bronze

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Full Spectrum Flex Floor Lamp in Black - Energy Star

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Find retro floor lamps for your next interior design project by viewing the retro designs displayed here. This selection is only a glimpse of the vast array of designs that are actually available. Many of the retro floor lamps that are available are influenced by the Eames era, a very important part of American design and certainly a look that is actively pursued today.

Once you have had a look at the various floor lamps available you might want to discover the range of retro table lamps that will complement them.

The Retro style refers to any furniture that was made in the 1950s, 60s or 70s. It was during this time that the modern era was beginning to take off and there were many innovations and fashion styles that were being tried out using brand new materials such as fiberglass and lucite. Retro pieces these days reflect that rather experimental time with the distinctive plastics and glass pieces.

Melamine was a particularly popular product during this time, billed as practically unbreakable it replaced most ceramic products. If you find a melamine cup, saucer, plate or lamp then you’ve found yourself a piece of retro fashion.

The kinds of retro lamps and lights that were distinctive of the era included Atomic table lamps, pendant lampshades, Tiffany lamps and the very popular ball lampshades. The lighting furnishings in the 1960s and 70s were influenced by the move into outer space and some of the lamps and lampshades are obviously influenced by developments that took place as part of the space race.

We will look at some of the more distinctive retro lamps and lights soon.

One of the pieces that cannot be overlooked as typically retro as well as culturally significant for the time is the lava lamp. The lava lamp was first introduced to the British market in the early 1960s where it was largely ignored until the psychedelic era hit. From this time it was essential to own one if you were going to be taken seriously as a part of the hippie movement. These days the lava lamp is making yet another return to popularity.

Retro lamps followed the rest of the retro fashion movement in that the straight lines of the earlier art deco era were replaced with more sleek and curving lines. Retro is bold and takes chances without regard to how it looks, it’s a fun style and that’s probably why you often hear the word funky used to describe it. Whether decorating your living room, bedroom or lounge room in the retro style, there are some specific lamps to complement the layout.

View the page displaying retro table lamps and the page displaying retro floor lamps.