Lamps, once a simple cone shade atop a slender spine, have taken a turn for the chunky and funky in 2020.
Whether task, standing or tabletop, lamps are no longer a means for lighting up a corner but rather an accessory for a room and a way of self-expression. And though we’ve seen many iterations of the humble lamp over the years, the latest trend of chubby lamps has us well and truly sold.
All over Instagram and Pinterest, chubby, chunky and sometimes even “ugly” lamps have begun to crop up with countless comments and pinned hearts. Second-hand online marketplaces have begun flogging them at designer prices when we’re sure your local Vinnies couldn’t have moved them five years ago.
If we had to compare them to another trend, the dad shoe comes to mind. Just like the dad shoe, chunky lamps typically appear swollen and bulbous. Just like the dad shoe, chunky lamps look somewhat space-inspired and as if they’re from another time.
And just like the dad shoes, we’re obsessed.
As for how the trend takes shape? The hallmark of a chunky lamp is a, well, chubby base or body, but texturally and material-wise, just about anything else goes.
“Odd and organic forms are in,” says interior designer Mia Lake on the trend of chunky lamps in 2020. “Radial edges and textures will be seen, and importantly, symmetry is out.
“Artisan handmade pieces will be a hit, primarily made from natural materials such as wood, clay, and matte-glazed ceramics.”
Constructed from varying materials like brass, copper and clay, and with bespoke and hand-finished or mouth-blown bulbs that appear a work of art in themselves, we’ve rounded up some of the chunkiest and funkiest lamps we’ve seen on Instagram.
Curated Spaces x Future Collective
This Curated Spaces lamp, designed in collaboration with Future Collective, is hand-carved in Australia ensuring each piece is unique and bespoke. To us, this lamp looks like a profile silhouette and would look perfect perched atop an entryway table or on a bedside.
Sophie Davies Interiors
Davies’ Twister Table Lamp is available to preorder. The unique piece is hand-made and crafted in Melbourne, Australia, by local artisans.
Eny Lee Parker
Parker uses clay to hand-craft her one-of-a-kind lighting pieces. Her lamps are made to order crafted in Queens, NY, and can be designed to suit any space with varying shades of clay, brushed metal finishes and glass bulbs.
Shop Good Room
Every now and again, one of these Murano Glass Mushroom lamps will pop up on second-hand furniture accounts. This one from Toronto-based seller Shop Good Room appeared recently for AU $420.
This random op shop find
Canadian artist and ceramicist Rachel Saunders posted her hack to lamp hunting recently after a visit to the local op shop. “You have to sneakily swap ‘n shop the bases and shades in your local thrift store sometimes. And metaphorically in life, too. But it pays.”
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