Brass and Opal Globe Table Lamp

Opal glass globes on a brass stem are a straight borrowing from mid-century hotel lighting, and they work for the same reason they did then: the frosted glass hides the source completely, so the lamp reads as a glowing sphere rather than a bulb behind a screen. There is no visible filament, no hot spot and no glare from any angle, which is unusual for a lamp with an exposed shade.

The single globe version stands fifty centimetres tall with a twenty-two centimetre sphere, a proper full-height lamp for a console table or a sideboard. The double is slightly shorter at forty-five centimetres and twenty-one and a half across, with two smaller globes set at different heights on the same stem, which throws light at two levels and suits a corner that needs filling rather than a surface that needs lighting.

The metalwork is finished in a warm brass tone throughout, including the base and the stem, and it is solid enough to keep the lamp stable with the globes in place. Each globe takes its own E27 bulb, not supplied. Frosted or opal bulbs are unnecessary here because the glass is already doing that work, so a plain warm white LED is the efficient choice.

• Material: brass-finished metal with frosted opal glass globes
• Single globe: 22cm diameter x 50cm high
• Double globe: 21.5cm diameter x 45cm high
• Takes E27 bulbs - not supplied; one per globe
• Mains 220-240V; not dimmable
• Supplied for 220-240V mains supply - use a suitable UK plug or adapter, fitted by a competent person