Louis Kalff, the modernist Philips lamp

Louis Kalff (1897-1976) is one of the most influential Dutch designers of the 20th century. A graduate in architecture from the Technical University of Delft, he joined the Philips design department in 1925, the Dutch electronics manufacturer, of which he became artistic director. For fifty years, he designed there the visual identity, exhibition pavilions, packaging, and above all the lamps: his pendants and bedside lamps, with lacquered metal bodies and opal glass shades, equipped European households in the 1950s and 60s.

Louis Kalff lamps for Philips, in black or cream lacquered metal and opal glass globes, remain his most recognisable pieces. Dutch industrial vintage lighting to find for those wanting a historic post-war signature, sober and well-designed.