Tiffany Style Lamps

0 Comments | Rating: 0 | |

One of the best ways to finish off any room designed in the Art Nouveau style is to add a Tiffany style lamp, whether you can afford an authentic one or just a replica. These lamps are very unique and will give you a great conversation piece for any guests.

The Origin of Tiffany Style Lamps

Tiffany lamps started in the 1880s and were produced until well into the 1930s. They were originally handcrafted by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, who founded the famous luxury goods and jewelry line. Although later in his career he employed several other people to make the lamps according to his designs.

Louis was an accomplished artist who worked with stained glass. Eventually he accumulated a large amount of pieces of stained of different colors and sizes. He cut these pieces of glass into different geometric shapes and arranged them according to a design that he created and wrapped the edges and copper foil. The pieces were then soldered together, creating a beautiful work of art.

Even today, Tiffany-inspired lamps are most notable for their colorful, intricate stained glass patterns and ornate glass lamp shades. While Tiffany style table lamps started out as geometric designs, they soon evolved into several different styles. An added benefit is that because the stems of these lamps are mostly metal, you can put in a converter at the wall plug to turn your Tiffany lamp into a touch lamp as well, increasing its functionality.

The Different Styles of Tiffany Inspired Lamps

There are several different basic styles of Tiffany lamps. They all draw on a large amount of influences, from nature to ancient Greek and Roman architecture, to create an attractive, abstract image for the viewer. The different styles are

Geometric
Flowered
Wisteria

The earliest style of Tiffany lamp is the geometric style. Geometric Tiffany lamps are symmetrical and are made up of glass cut into basic shapes and welded together. The geometric style covers lotis leaf, acorn, nautilus seashell, and turtleback lamps.

The second kind of Tiffany style lamp is the flowered style. Flowered lamps can come in both domes and cones and feature an incredible amount of different colors in the shades. This style includes dragonfly, peony, bamboo, and other flower-inspired designs.

The Wisteria style is perhaps the most popular Tiffany style lamp shade. It is made to look like the limbs and the flowers of the Wisteria tress and is incredibly ornate. The stem of the lamp is made to look like the trunk of the tree while the shade is supposed to resemble limbs that are in their spring blossom.

Whether you can afford an original or are simply looking for a replica, a glass Tiffany style lamp can add the finishing touches to almost any room. It can be used as an Art Nouveau or Art Deco Lamp and gives the room a character you might not achieve otherwise. It is even a good conversation piece to talk with guests about.