Space age lighting: plastic, chrome and the future of 1969
Glowing globes, mushroom domes and gleaming chrome: how the race to the Moon shaped the boldest lamps of the 1960s, and how to live with them today.
In July 1969, hundreds of millions of people watched two astronauts walk on the Moon. Designers had been dreaming of that moment for a decade, and their lamps showed it: glowing globes, mushroom domes, gleaming chrome and plastics in colours nobody had dared to use at home before. Space age lighting is the most optimistic chapter in the history of the lamp.
A style born of optimism
The space age look grew through the 1960s and lasted into the early 1970s. Satellites, rockets and science fiction fed a belief that technology would make life easier, brighter and more fun. Fashion, cars, architecture and furniture all picked up the mood, and lighting followed.
Unlike the restrained warmth of mid-century design, space age lamps wanted to be noticed. They were sculptural, often witty and almost always built from materials that were new to the home. The oil crisis of 1973 is often seen as the end of the party: plastics became more expensive, and the mood of design turned more sober.
The new materials: plastic, acrylic and chrome
Plastics changed everything. , in which molten plastic is pressed into a steel mould, allowed manufacturers to produce smooth shells in one piece and in large numbers. , a tough and glossy plastic, and , a clear or coloured material that carries light beautifully, became the stars of the period.
Opal acrylic worked as a , spreading light evenly across a surface so that the whole lamp seemed to shine from within. Chrome and polished aluminium added the gleam of machinery and reflected colours around the room. Together they gave the impression of objects that had landed from another planet.
- Spheres and globes: pendants and table lamps shaped like planets, helmets or bubbles.
- Mushroom and dome shapes: a wide cap over a slim stem, casting light downwards while glowing itself.
- Bright colours: orange, red, lime green, purple and glossy white.
- Chrome and mirror finishes: reflective surfaces that multiply light and colour.
- Playful mechanics: shades that rotate, stems that extend and parts that can be stacked or turned.
Designers and lamps that defined the era
Italy led the way. Gae Aulenti’s Pipistrello of 1965, made by Martinelli Luce, spreads a scalloped shade of opal acrylic, shaped like a bat’s wings, over a telescopic stem. The same year Vico Magistretti designed Eclisse for Artemide, a small lamp with a rotating inner shell that can partly close over the bulb, like an eclipse. Artemide also produced Nesso, the plastic mushroom lamp by Giancarlo Mattioli and the Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova from the late 1960s, which became one of the symbols of the decade.
In Denmark, Verner Panton took the style furthest. His Flowerpot lamp of 1968 combines two half spheres in cheerful colours, his VP Globe of 1969 sets reflectors inside a clear acrylic sphere, and his Panthella of 1971 for Louis Poulsen places a dome shade on a flaring, trumpet-shaped stem.
Elsewhere, designers such as Eero Aarnio in Finland and Joe Colombo in Italy explored rounded plastic furniture and lighting, while countless anonymous makers produced cheerful globes and mushroom lamps for ordinary homes. Those unnamed pieces are part of the story too, and they are often the most affordable way into collecting.
Space age design was never meant to be precious: it was a cheerful bet on the future.
Collecting originals and reissues
Original space age lamps are collected seriously today, but plastics age differently from brass or glass. White ABS and acrylic can yellow with ultraviolet light, glossy surfaces scratch easily, and old plastics can become brittle or develop fine cracks. Check that shells are complete, that colours are even and that no parts have been replaced with poor copies.
Many icons are back in production. Artemide still makes Eclisse and Nesso, Martinelli Luce makes the Pipistrello, Louis Poulsen makes the Panthella, and Panton’s Flowerpot and Globe are produced again under licence. A reissue gives you new electrics and a guarantee; an original gives you patina and history. Whichever you choose, have vintage wiring checked by a qualified electrician before use.
Bringing the space age home today
Space age lamps are strong personalities, so let one lead. A single globe pendant over a dining table or a mushroom lamp on a white sideboard can define a room on its own. Surround it with calm surfaces, white or pale grey walls and simple furniture, and the lamp becomes the planet the room orbits.
Colour works best in doses. An orange lamp against grey or white looks deliberate, while three bright colours together quickly feel like a theme party. Chrome sits well with glass, marble and pale wood, and it softens beside textiles such as wool, bouclé and velvet.
Pay attention to the light itself. Plastic shades glow across their whole surface, so choose warm white LED bulbs of about 2,700 K to keep the glow friendly rather than clinical; (K) is the scale for colour temperature, and lower values look warmer. Check the brightness in lumens, the measure of how much light a bulb gives: around 400 to 800 lumens is plenty for most table lamps.
Most of all, keep the spirit playful. Space age design was never meant to be precious: it was a cheerful bet on the future, and more than half a century later it still lights a room with a sense of fun.
glaminia is independent and does not sell lamps or recommend dealers. Images are AI generated illustrations, not photographs of specific products. Have fixed electrical work done by a qualified electrician.
