Wes Kennedy

Big is In. Again.
September 4, 2007

When I was a youngster, way back in the 70s, it seemed every living room I visited sported gold shag carpet and table lamps that were taller than your average little brother. In fact, our living room featured a pair of large red, green, and blue-ringed ceramic lamps that were most likely Americanized versions of what today would be very collectible hand-made Italian ceramics. I doubt my mom's lamps were hand made anywhere, but they still had that appealing combination of rustic pottery plus brilliant color that is so identifiable with Italian ceramics of the period. And, yes, Mom was very fond of gold carpet as well.

Surely beholden to those gorgeous behemoths of the late 50s and 60s, todays statement lamps are every bit as much fun (if not always quite so elegant) as their artful predecessors. Gone are the handmade ceramics, replaced with everything from stone Buddhas to spun aluminum. 

And big is even bigger. While the 60s era lamps above all come in around 40 inches high, some of today's overambitious luminaries beg the question 'how tall can a table lamp be before it's a floor lamp?' But since I've always believed rules about decorating are for little people, I say if your ceilings are high enough, anything's a table lamp.

The antique lamps above are courtesy of FUTURES ANTIQUES in Norfolk, Virginia. The man behind Futures is my good friend Ronn, who is almost completely responsible for my obsession with 20th Century home furnishings. His website is coolio, check it out it .

Ciao!

My potential new favorite website is Portohome.com.

Posted by Wes Kennedy on September 4, 2007 | Comments (2)