Retro bedside table lamps
This selection is also available in our French store: Lampes à poser rétro de chevet
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A small round lamp measuring 19 cm high by 12 cm in diameter: that is the size that fits on a bedside table without taking it over. This selection brings together a retro table lamp in aluminium and glass, G9 base, 8 W LED, IP20, in green, white, black, beige, red or taupe.
What is a retro bedside lamp?
A lamp that sits on a piece of furniture, in a small format, whose roundness and bold colour recall the 1950s to 1970s. The model gathered here measures 19 cm high by 12 cm in diameter, with an aluminium stem, a glass diffuser, a G9 base and an 8 W LED bulb. It is close-range lighting, for reading or getting up at night, not a source for lighting a whole room. To place this type of product within the wider catalogue, browse all our lighting collections.
Retro, vintage or Art Deco: what are the nuances?
Retro borrows the codes of the 1950s to 1970s: slim stem, round diffuser, confident colour. Vintage implies an object that has lived, or that keeps the trace of it, with more patinated tones. Art Deco plays geometric contrasts and cool metals. The lamp in this selection sits on the retro and vintage side: matte aluminium, glass, in green, white, black, beige or red. No patina, no aged brass here.
What a style lamp changes in a bedroom
On a bedside table, the lamp is the most looked-at object in the room: it is switched on and off every day. A bold patch of colour, a green or a red, marks out a reading corner without repainting the walls. A white or a beige fades into the background and leaves room for the textiles. Compare the silhouettes in the design table lamps for the bedroom before deciding.
What light does a retro bedside lamp with a G9 base give?
The glass diffuser spreads the light instead of concentrating it: you can read without the bright point in your eyes, and wake up without glare. The source is an 8 W LED G9 bulb, mounted behind this glass. With an IP20 protection rating, the lamp is intended for indoor use, in dry rooms. It does not belong in a bathroom, under a canopy, or near a window open to the rain.
Which G9 bulb should you choose for a bedside lamp?
A two-pin G9 in a compact format is the only constraint imposed by the socket. For the tone, a warm white around 2700 K gives an amber light suited to the evening; a neutral white towards 3000 K makes pages whiter for reading. Dimmable models let you adjust the intensity. The base is the same on the LED models for the bedroom.
Is a rechargeable retro bedside lamp possible here?
No. The lamp in this selection runs on mains power: a cord, a socket, and the 8 W G9 bulb lights up. No battery, no wireless mode, so no portable use on a terrace or on a table corner far from a socket. If wireless is essential, you need to look in another product family, for example among the adjustable lamps.
Where should you place a retro bedside lamp in the home?
On a bedside table at mattress height, that is its primary use: the hand finds it without getting up. Then it moves to a desk beside the screen, onto a shelf, a living room sideboard or a dry worktop in the kitchen. Its 12 cm diameter and 19 cm height open up narrow surfaces, where a large base will not fit.
In the living room, a point of light on a piece of furniture
Placed on a sideboard or a console, the lamp brings a patch of colour at seating height. A deep green warms a white wall, a black stands out against concrete or metal. To vary the silhouettes, look at the table lamps for the living room and the modern lamps for the living room.
Desk and occasional use: the lamp that helps out
Beside a screen, an occasional lamp lights the keyboard without casting a shadow on the page. The slim stem frees up space, the light passes through the glass and stays soft. It does not replace an articulated task lamp, but it is enough as an extra light in the evening. See also the desk lighting and the models in the LED design range.
| Room | What you look for there | Suitable format | Colour that works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | a close, non-glaring light | small format on a bedside table | beige, white, green |
| Living room | a point of light on a piece of furniture | compact round shape | black, red, green |
| Desk | an extra light beside the screen | slim stem, 19 cm high | black, white, taupe |
| Kitchen | occasional lighting in a dry area | placed on a dry worktop | white, beige |
| Dining room | low light on a sideboard | one or two matching lamps | green, red, black |
How do you choose the colour and material of a retro bedside lamp?
The aluminium of the stem gives a matte, solid surface, the glass of the diffuser lets the light through and softens it. For colour, a deep green or a red makes a statement, black stays graphic, white and beige fade into the background, taupe matches light woods and neutral walls. Choose the effect you want first, the material follows.
Driftwood or metal: which should you choose?
Driftwood offers a raw, irregular finish, which dislikes humidity and needs a little care. The aluminium and glass in this selection wipe clean with a cloth, with no special treatment. If wood appeals to you, the wood option exists elsewhere in the catalogue, as do the black metal versions.
Reissue or period piece?
A period piece brings a patina that no new manufacture can reproduce, with a risk: a tired socket, a wire to replace, cracked glass. A reissue delivers a complete lamp, guaranteed for five years, with a standardised G9 base and an 8 W LED in place. For daily use at the bedside, the reissue avoids unpleasant surprises. The ceramic bedside lamps follow the same logic.
| Criterion | Value | What it implies |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | aluminium and glass | solid stem, diffuser that softens the light |
| Shape | round, Ø 12 cm, H 19 cm | fits on a narrow bedside table |
| Base | G9 | two-pin bulb, compact format |
| Source | 8 W LED | occasional lighting, not general lighting |
| Protection | IP20 | indoor use only, not in damp rooms |
| Guarantee | 5 years | cover on the lamp |
One last point before ordering: measure the height between the top of your bedside table and the bottom of your bedside shade. With a 19 cm lamp, the bulb stays below eye level when you are sitting. The Sylvanis bedside lamp brings these dimensions together in a single model, in six colours.
How do you connect several lamps to a single power supply?
The simplest way: an extension lead or a power strip placed out of reach of water, plugged into an existing wall socket. For a fixed installation, each lamp is wired in parallel on the terminal block, after switching off the power at the circuit breaker. The total wattage must stay below what the line and the breaker allow, otherwise it trips.
Extension lead, power strip or direct connection?
An extension lead helps out, but it stays visible and quickly overloads a single socket. A power strip, fixed to the wall or along the skirting board, tidies the connections and holds several lamps on one supply. A direct connection to a terminal block requires stripping the wires properly, tightening each one and closing the cover: that is an electrician's job. For models with a small base, see also the LED design lamps.
Checks before connecting
Cut the power, check that the line is properly dead, then check the total wattage of the bulbs connected. An 8 W LED weighs little on a line, but six lamps fitted with more demanding bulbs change the calculation. Tighten the connections, leave no wire exposed, and never use an extension lead in a bathroom for an IP20 device.
How should you arrange ceiling spotlights when adding a bedside lamp?
Spotlights provide the general lighting, the bedside lamp the close-range lighting. Avoid placing a spotlight in line with the pillow or above the bed, aim it at a wall for indirect light, and keep the lamp for reading. Two separate circuits, one for the ceiling, one for the sockets, make the moods adjustable.
Ceiling and bedside lamp: which lights what?
The ceiling lights the whole room, for getting dressed or tidying up. The bedside lamp lights an area of 50 cm around the bed, for reading without disturbing anyone. A comfortable bedroom combines the two and lets you switch off the ceiling as soon as evening mode begins. The Scandinavian-style lamps play this role of low, discreet light.
Mistakes to avoid in a bedroom
A spotlight aimed at the face from the opposite wall glares as soon as you sit up in bed. A single central ceiling light leaves shadows at the sides. And a bedside lamp that is too tall forces you to raise your arm to switch it off. Place the lamp within reach, the spotlight away from your line of sight, and keep the switches accessible from the pillow.
Italian design, original or mushroom bedside lamp: how do you tell them apart?
Italian design is recognisable by its roundness, glass and bold colours; the mushroom lamp by its rounded shade sitting on a slim stem; the original by a detail that stands out, a colour or a worked base. These families describe silhouettes, not brands. The lamp in this selection belongs to the round, colourful vein.
Italian design: the signs that characterise it
Compact proportions, a simple stem, a glass diffuser, confident colours: that is what you find in the Italian vein of the 1950s to 1970s. Nothing overloaded, no ornament. If you are after a more dressed-up look, the crystal models or the ceramic selection deliberately move away from it.
Mushroom and original: two ways to break away from the standard model
The mushroom lamp owes its name to its round shade crowning a slim base, a design widespread in the 1970s. The original, meanwhile, relies on a detail: a deep green, a bright red, a worked base. In both cases, check the diameter before buying, a wide silhouette will not fit on a narrow bedside table. The Sylvanis in green plays this colour card.
How do you care for a retro bedside lamp in glass and aluminium?
A soft cloth on the glass, with no abrasive product, and a slightly damp cloth then wiped dry on the aluminium. Switch off the power before touching the bulb and let it cool. The selection is guaranteed for five years, which leaves time to see what comes. Two gestures are enough, about once a month.
Cleaning the glass without scratching it
Dust dry first, then go over it with a damp microfibre cloth. Avoid abrasive sponges, strong alcohol and products that leave a film. The diffuser glass is rarely removable: clean it in place, with the lamp switched off. Clean glass makes the light crisper, without a greasy halo. For other materials, compare with the black lamps for the living room.
Changing the G9 bulb without forcing it
Unplug the lamp, let it cool, then remove the bulb by pulling it straight out by its two pins. A G9 goes in without screwing: if it resists, the angle is wrong. Do not touch the glass of the bulb with your fingers if it is halogen, the LED is not affected. Put the diffuser back before plugging in again.
Ordering and receiving your lamp
The lamp measures 19 cm high and 12 cm in diameter, with a G9 base and an 8 W bulb, and it is rated IP20. If you are hesitating between two colours, order the one that matches your wall: a green or a red on white, a beige on wood.
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To compare the other formats before confirming, a look through the complete lighting catalogue and the black lamps for the living room helps you settle your choice.
Frequently asked questions
What is meant by an Italian design bedside lamp?
A lamp that borrows the codes of Italian design from the 1950s to 1970s: round shapes, glass and metal, bold colours, compact proportions. It is recognisable by the simplicity of the stem and the quality of the diffuser. The round aluminium and glass lamp in this selection shares that silhouette.
How do you choose an original bedside lamp?
You look first at the colour and the shape, which you see before anything else, then at the space available on the bedside table. A deep green or a red, a round glass shape, are enough to break away from the standard white model. Checking the base and the wattage afterwards avoids unpleasant surprises.
What is a mushroom bedside lamp?
It is a lamp whose rounded shade, in glass or metal, crowns a slim stem, which suggests a mushroom cap. This design spread in the 1970s. A round model of small diameter, placed on a bedside table, carries on its compact spirit.
Can you find rechargeable retro bedside lamps?
Not in this selection: the lamp runs on mains power, with a G9 base, an 8 W LED bulb and an IP20 protection rating. No wireless model here. For a portable battery lamp, you need to look at another product family, for example among the adjustable lamps.
Which base and which bulb for a retro bedside lamp?
A G9 base, with an 8 W LED bulb. It is a small two-pin base, which leaves room for a compact diffuser like the one on the Sylvanis. You choose a bulb suited to the socket, and cut the power before changing it.
