Remembered as one of the major pioneers of modern industrial design, the German designer Wilhelm Wagenfeld devoted most of his life on improving industrial mass production and “redefining the weight of things”. Today his glass and metal creations, most of which he made for the Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Gen., the Vereinigte Lausitzer Glaswerke, Rosenthal, WMF and Braun GmbH, are regarded as classic examples of industrial design. One such timeless design by Wagenfeld that is still being produced today is the aptly named Wagenfeld Lampe.

One of Wagenfeld’s most popular industrial designs, the Wagenfeld Lampe is a table lamp consisting of a flat, disc-shaped base, a cylindrical lamp stand and a semi-spherical lampshade on top. Wagenfeld designed the Lampe in 1924, and was completed in collaboration with Karl Jacob Jucker during their years at the Bahaus school of design in Germany. The prototype for the lamp’s design was said to have been a solution to an assignment given to Wagenfeld by his Bahaus professor, the Hungarian constructivism artist Lazlo Moholy-Nagy.

The Wagenfeld Lampe is made in two variations. On the first one, the Lampe’s base and stand is made from industrial grade steel coated with nickel. The nickel coating protects the steel from corrosion with the added bonus of acquiring an attractive yellowish patina over time. In the second variation, on the other hand, both the stand and base is made from thick glass. The glass variation of the Wagenfeld Lampe is more expensive than its steel counterpart, as it is more difficult to produce. Both variations, however, are fitted with a translucent lampshade made from opalescent glass.

Currently, the Technolumen company of Bremen, Germany is the sole authorized manufacturer of the Wagenfeld Lampe. Technolumen started producing re-editions of the Lampe with permission from Wagenfeld in the 1980s, and was the company’s sole product for several years.