There are two kinds of light that we can enjoy in our homes: natural and artificial. Although the most desirable kind of light is natural light it is constantly varying in intensity and direction as it passes overhead. So we are left with creating enough artificial light to illuminate our home sufficiently at any time of the day or night.

Ever since the electric light bulb has been in existence we have been coming up with new ways to use that light. From it’s functional origins the lamp became a work of art through the art deco and retro eras with the lamp bases becoming more decorative ranging from figurines to animal shapes and on to new age materials.

One of those newer types of material that became popular in the construction of lamps, both bases and shades, was a material known as Lucite. This acrylic resin is a hardened plastic material that could be used to be formed into any shape that the designer wanted. Lucite table lamps were soon churned out in great numbers as the retro designers made use of them.

These days, vintage Lucite table lamps are popular collector items as representative of the typical style features from both the art deco and retro eras. They complement contemporary style décor as well as a retro room. They speak clearly of the optimism that sparked in the post-war period. The space age had dawned and household items made with modern materials were all the rage.

It’s worth tracking down these kinds of lamps for the more modern room if you want to add a piece that will spark some interest to the eye. One thing is for sure, a Lucite table lamp is going to stand out.

One of the materials that came to prominence during the 1950s and onwards in the manufacture of small furniture and accessory items was a material known as Lucite. This is a cross between plastic and glass giving you the clear qualities of both but it is a tougher, more durable type of plastic than something like Perspex.

Lucite was used as a highly mouldable medium that was just as capable to form traditional lamp base shapes as it was for the more innovative progressive styles that were becoming prevalent. Lucite was used as either the lamp shade or the lamp base or as a combination of the two.

As a copy of more traditional glass lamp shades the Lucite lamp shades were more reliable, less prone to cracking and could be made relatively cheaply and in great numbers. But just because these lamps were able to be produced cheaply didn’t meant they looked in any way cheap. In fact the designs that came out of the retro era were produced by some of the foremost architects and designers who threw their creative talent into producing some of the more distinctive space age creations imaginable.

Not only was Lucite suitable to use as the entire lamp but it was also spotted frequently as small adornments that were added to the lamp bases and shades to give them sparkling appeal. In many cases table lamps that were made with Lucite could be realistically classed as strange but cool table lamps.