DESIGN

A Guide to Art Nouveau and Art Deco Lighting

23 June 2026

Joy McCall

You rarely notice lighting until it is wrong. Yet the arrival of electric light in the late nineteenth century transformed the way designers approached interiors. Freed from the practical limitations of candles and oil lamps, makers could experiment with new forms, materials and decorative effects.

The result was some of the most distinctive lighting of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, from the leaded glass lamps of Tiffany Studios to the acid-etched glass of Daum and the sculptural designs of René Lalique.

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Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Electric Lamp

Few names are more closely associated with decorative lighting than Louis Comfort Tiffany. At Tiffany Studios in New York, coloured and textured glass was assembled into leaded shades and paired with cast bronze bases. The choice of glass and the finish of the bronze were central to the final effect.

The popularity of Tiffany's lamps encouraged other manufacturers to develop their own approaches. In Bohemia, Loetz became known for its iridescent glass, producing shades that reflected changing colours when illuminated.

Émile Gallé and Art Nouveau Glass

Émile Gallé was one of the leading figures of the Art Nouveau movement. Although his name is often associated with decorative lighting, electricity arrived relatively late in his own life. Gallé did not have electricity installed until 1902 and died two years later.

Many of the lighting designs associated with Gallé, including cameo glass and mould-blown lamps, were produced by his workshops after his death. Their success reflects the strength of the artistic direction he established during his lifetime.

Lighting Beyond Glass

Decorative lighting was not limited to glass. Metalwork played an equally important role in the development of early twentieth-century design.

Edgar Brandt is best known for his ironwork, combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary industrial methods. His work helped define the transition from the natural forms of Art Nouveau to the more geometric language of Art Deco.

René Lalique and Art Deco Design

No discussion of decorative lighting would be complete without René Lalique. By the 1920s and 1930s, designers were embracing geometry, symmetry and abstraction, and Lalique became one of the movement's leading figures.

His lighting designs drew on both natural and geometric forms, creating objects that functioned as sculpture as much as sources of light. The passion flower, a recurring motif in his work, provided a natural framework for exploring pattern and structure.

Daum and the Art Deco Interior

Daum, another important French glassmaker, also adapted to changing tastes during the Art Deco period. Deeply acid-etched cameo glass lamps became a feature of fashionable interiors, combining practical illumination with strong decorative presence.

These designs demonstrate how lighting had become an integral part of interior decoration rather than a purely functional necessity.

Department

Art Nouveau

Light as Design

The best lighting does more than illuminate a room. It shapes atmosphere, highlights architectural features and influences how a space is experienced.

Whether through Tiffany's leaded glass, Gallé's cameo glass, Brandt's ironwork or Lalique's geometric forms, the leading designers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries approached lighting as part of a wider decorative scheme. More than a century later, their work remains closely associated with the interiors of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods.

Department

Art Deco

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Specialist

Joy McCall

Associate Director, Senior Design Specialist