Brass and Acrylic Glass Wall Lamps by Stockmann Orno, Finland 1960s (sold)

Brass and Acrylic Glass Wall Lamps by Stockmann Orno, Finland 1960s (sold)

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Finnish lighting designers and manufacturers were true inventors who experimented with light and form to develop a unique oeuvre that continues to hold a prime position in the canon of design. The allure of 20th-century Finnish lighting continues to be sought after nowadays, and these wall lamps exemplify why that is.

Light in Scandinavia, as Danish designer Poul Henningsen famously stated, is equal to culture. The region’s unique natural light—from the midnight sunlight in the summers to the long, dark winters—was a point of departure for all Nordic lighting designers during the modernist era. As a result, lights from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland are among the most iconic designs of the 20th century, treasured as outstanding achievements of refined form and function. These wall lamps in particular have an almost postmodern look with an innovative look and a classic pairing of materials: polished brass and glass. From the architectural looking brass bodies to the oddly shaped acrylic glass shades, this pair is a design rarity. Combining the round lines of the brass backplates and bodies holding the milky acrylic glass shades, with excellent optical clarity and transparency, creating warm light as the material can transmit up to 92% visible light. The shades have a cylindrical shape with an open back that curves outwards to create “ears”, creating the main design element of this model. The versatility of modern and postmodern shapes and forms sets this pair apart, even in the vast repertoire of Orno. Stockmann Orno AB was a major lighting factory, founded in 1921 in Helsinki, Finland.

Finnish designers’ powerful abilities as architects are reflected in many of the lighting designs of the era, including this pair. They are a stylish representation of mature modernism that the Nordic country has been a master of since the 19th century.