Main Project Alternative Designs – Art Deco and Victorian

For my course project, I plan on making a desk lamp with contemporary styling and mid-centruy modern material choices. There are multitudes of different ways one can design a desk lamp, but a few styles I found interesting were art deco and Victorian. I think these are particularly good to study for my project since they’re quite separated from contemporary and minimalist styling, and so examining them would provide a fresh perspective on my design.

Below is a rough sketch of the aesthetic and general form in which I aim to create my desk lamp:

Main design for my final project lamp

The first alternative aesthetic I thought of manufacturing my lamp in was art deco. This style is characterized by smooth curves, streamlining, and intricacy. One reason I’m not planning on using this style for my final project is that it requires a lot more variety of materials and details that would be difficult to machine and source. A sketch of a desk lamp in art deco is shown below:

Art Deco alternative aesthetic

For my second alternative aesthetic, I chose to sketch my lamp in Victorian style. This style is characterized by its layered, ornate, and eccentric look. To help my sketch fit this aesthetic, I added various fine details along with an eclectic color scheme.

Alternative Victorian aesthetic desk lamp