A vintage lamp, as most shoppers use the term, is a lamp with an old-fashioned look: coloured or ribbed glass, an antique brass or bronze finish, a velvet shade with tassels, a bankers or stained glass shade. It does not have to be an antique. Every lamp in this guide is new and made in a vintage style, with modern wiring and the voltage stated on its product page. Below are the four vintage looks we sell, a table of real sizes, and a few worked examples for a table, an island and a bedroom.
Vintage, antique and retro: what is the difference?
- Antique usually means an original piece that is genuinely old, often 100 years or more.
- Vintage is used for older pieces and, more often online, for new lamps in a period style: pressed and ribbed glass, brass, velvet, stained glass.
- Retro points to the mid-century and the 1960s–70s: domes, globes, space-age shapes. Those are covered in our guide to mid-century, Bauhaus and space age lamps.
Four vintage looks
Coloured and ribbed glass pendants. The Ribbed Fluted Glass Pendant (green, amber or clear) has a wide fluted shade under a brass-tone cap. The Flower Glass Pendant is a pressed-glass blossom in purple, green, amber or clear. The Ribbed Glass Lantern Pendant comes as a tall or round lantern, and the Scalloped Glass Globe Pendant hangs from an ornate antique-bronze canopy in emerald green or milk white. Colour by colour, they are compared in our coloured glass lighting guide.
Bankers and stained glass table lamps. The Cobalt Glass Bankers Desk Lamp pairs a blue glass shade with an antique brass-tone arm. The Tiffany Cat Table Lamp is a small Tiffany-style lamp on a bronze-finish base (Tiffany-style, not made by Tiffany Studios).
Velvet and tassels. The Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp has a caramel velvet shade edged with tassels on a slim brass-tone stand, and lights both up and down. For more fringed and Victorian pieces, see our Victorian lamps guide.
Antique brass on the wall. The Vintage Brass Flower Wall Sconce holds a glass flower shade on a scrolled arm in an antique brass finish. Our guide to vintage wall sconces covers the wall lights in detail.
Vintage lamps and pendants: real sizes
| Lamp | Type | Size | Light | Lit area (product page) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribbed Fluted Glass | Pendant | Ø 31 × H 15 cm (12.2 × 5.9 in); cord 150 cm (59 in) | Bright light down, glass glows | 5–10 m² |
| Flower Glass | Pendant | About Ø 30 × H 13 cm (11.8 × 5.1 in); green Ø 28 × H 16 cm | Petals glow, warm light down | 3–5 m² |
| Ribbed Glass Lantern | Pendant | Tall 14 × 30 cm (5.5 × 11.8 in); round 25 × 23 cm (9.8 × 9.1 in); cord up to 180 cm | Glows all around | Not stated |
| Scalloped Glass Globe | Pendant (rod) | Ø 30 × H 31 cm (11.8 × 12.2 in) | Whole globe glows, warm light down | Not stated |
| Cobalt Glass Bankers | Table / desk | H 36 cm (14.2 in); shade 26.5 cm wide; base 18 cm | Down onto the desk | Not stated |
| Tiffany Cat | Table | H 36.5 cm (14.4 in); shade 20 cm (8 in); base 11.5 cm | Glass glows, pool around the base | Not stated |
| Tasselled Velvet | Floor | H 158 cm (62.2 in) | Up and down | 3–5 m² |
| Vintage Brass Flower | Wall | H 25 cm (9.8 in); projection 25 cm (9.8 in) | Warm halo on the wall | 3–5 m² |
Worked examples with real sizes
These use the working rules from our dining table lights guide: a shade no wider than about two-thirds of the table, about 20 cm between shades in a row, and about 15 cm of margin at each end.
- Round table 90 cm (35 in). Two-thirds is 60 cm, so the Scalloped Glass Globe (Ø 30 cm) or the Ribbed Fluted Glass (Ø 31 cm) fits easily as a single pendant.
- Row of 3 over an island. Three Ribbed Fluted shades: 3 × 31 + 2 × 20 = 133 cm, plus 2 × 15 cm margins = an island of at least 163 cm (64 in). Three tall Ribbed Glass Lanterns: 3 × 14 + 2 × 20 = 82 cm, plus 30 cm = 112 cm (44 in).
- Bedroom of 12 m². A Flower Glass Pendant hung low on each side of the bed (3–5 m² each) plus the Tasselled Velvet in a corner (3–5 m²) adds up to 9–15 m².
- Bedside table 45 cm (17.7 in). The Tiffany Cat shade (20 cm) leaves 25 cm free; the Bankers shade (26.5 cm) leaves 18.5 cm.
Warm white suits most vintage glass and velvet; several of these lamps offer a choice of light colour on their product page.
Frequently asked questions
Are these vintage lamps antiques?
No. They are new lamps made in a vintage style, with the voltage stated on each product page (for example 90–260 V for the glass pendants and the velvet floor lamp, 110–240 V for the Tiffany Cat).
Which vintage pendant is best over a kitchen island?
The Ribbed Fluted Glass Pendant and the tall Ribbed Glass Lantern are both described on their product pages as suited to a row of two or three over an island. With the rules above, a row of three needs an island of about 163 cm and 112 cm respectively.
Are vintage glass pendants dimmable?
The Ribbed Fluted Glass Pendant, the Flower Glass Pendant and the Tasselled Velvet Floor Lamp are listed as not dimmable. For the other lamps, dimming is not stated on the product page: message us before ordering if you need it.
See all our vintage and mid-century lamps, pendant lights, kitchen island pendant lights and floor lamps.
