Mad About Mushrooms: 7 Stylish Mushroom Lamps
They are one of today’s hottest trends in interior design, beloved by Instagram influencers, but mushroom lamps have been popular since Massimo Vitelli introduced his Fungo (Italian for “mushroom”) light in 1965. The result of an attempt to eliminate the need for a lamp shade, Vitelli’s design, crafted in authentic Murano glass, merged the base and top to create the distinctive, curving outline. Illuminated from within, the effect is a soft glow that catches the eye with its elegance, vibrancy, and simplicity. If you’ve been looking for a mushroom lamp of your own, we’ve got some of today’s best contemporary looks, including these seven unique interpretations of Vitelli’s magical mushroom.
Hanover Table Lamp by CTO Lighting
Designed by British designers Chris and Clare Turner of CTO Lighting, the translucent nature of glass softens and contrasts with the simplicity of Hanover’s strong, architecturally inspired lines. The satin brass detailing adds a touch of luxury and reflects the light, creating a soft, room-filling glow.
Theia by Marset
Inspired by the Greek goddess Theia, mother of the sun, moon and dawn, designer Mathias Hahn’s Theia expresses the beauty of light and the fascination we feel for it. Merging both light and shadow in a single piece, Theia’s two faces swivel on a central axis, which can be pointed towards you for use as a reading lamp, or towards an object or a wall to create a subtle, indirect light.
Solene by Italamp
Simple but striking, Danilo De Rossi’s Solene features a translucent rounded top, crafted of blown glass with a shaded blue or shaded gold finish. The top surrounds an internal diffuser of hand-carved white blown glass with hand carvings, which sits on a metal base in a contrasting gunmetal finish.
Bellhop by FLOS
Portable, rechargeable, and wireless, Bellhop is a sleek, LED tabletop lamp that functions like a modern-day candle, providing a soft atmospheric pool of light wherever it’s needed. Originally designed by the renowned team of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby for the London Design Museum, the lamp charges via a micro-USB-C and holds a charge for up to 24 hours. Portable and elegant, Bellhop is available in brown, burnt orange, grey, grey blue, white and yellow.
Kurage Table Lamp by Foscarini
The embodiment of lightness in light,Kurage (“jellyfish” in Japanese) is a table lamp made of washi paper, meticulously hand-made by Japanese craftsmen, on slender ash-wood legs. A collaboration between designers Nendo and Luca Nichetto, the design’s painstaking attention to details includes paper fiber covering the electrical cable.
Ongo by Contardi
Born from a collaboration between Jessica Corr, Tony Chi, and Contardi, this iconic portable table lamp both illuminates and delights, with petite proportions but a considerable impact. Ongo is available in a variety of color combinations and finished in mix-and-match style, including handblown Murano glass, dark orange lacquer, nickel lacquer, and satin gold.
Snoopy Desk Lamp by FLOS
Brothers Achille and Pier Giacamo Castiglioni’s playful design is named for the beloved cartoon character. Snoopy features a distinctive, light-hearted shape that provides direct light through a thick glass disk and an enameled reflector, both resting in perfect balance on a white marble base. While the original debuted in 1967, this version was reintroduced in 2003 with updated technology, including an internal dimmer and switch.
