Though Robert Sonneman was quite literally born into the lighting business, it took working for another celebrated lighting maker for him to land upon the kind of boundary-pushing modernism for which the New York–based designer is known today.
At the age of 19, fresh off a stint in the U.S. Navy, Sonneman responded to an ad for a position working in the studio of George Kovacs on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he became the sole employee. “Although my parents were in the lighting business, they came from a traditional perspective, and Kovacs introduced me to modernism,” Sonneman once said. “It was 1961, and I was immediately captured by the movement.”
While working for Kovacs, Sonneman became captivated by the work of the Bauhaus, and he began experimenting with the influential art and design school’s ideas of functional simplicity in lighting. In 1967, he opened his own studio.
Though Sonneman Design Group produced furniture for a brief time, the designer eventually elected to focus on the one category that had always fascinated him; the brand became known for its floor lamps, sconces, pendants and chandeliers that feature unconventional treatments toward shape and balance, often inspired by modern architecture. Sonneman once said of his work: “I saw the lamps that I built as lighting machines that glorified the industrial aesthetic.”
Indeed, in the spirit of Bauhaus functionality — Sonneman has also cited Mies van der Rohe as being an inspiration — the designer’s work takes function-centric forms and motifs and elevates them while prioritizing technology. This spirit of forward thinking continues today, as Sonneman’s brand, renamed SONNEMAN – A Way of Light in 2003, works with LED bulbs to continue to push the boundaries of what functional lighting can achieve aesthetically.
Current-day releases by SONNEMAN – A Way of Light (still overseen by Sonneman himself) feature 95 percent LED lights and include interior and exterior lighting as well as modular suspended lights as an alternative to track lighting. Sonneman’s vintage pieces, however, are still widely collected on the secondary market.
Find vintage Robert Sonneman lighting on 1stDibs.
Robert Sonneman Chrome Atom Table Lamp! Space Age Eyeball Lighting 1960s Decor
By Robert Sonneman
Located in Peoria, AZ
SONNEMAN! SPACE AGE! CHROME TOWER "MOLECULE" TABLE LAMP! ICONIC! GREAT DESIGN! ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! CIRCA 1967 DIMENSIONS: HEIGHT 33 " This super rare Sonneman chrome table lamp...
Metal, Chrome
Rare Robert Sonneman Chrome Small Table Lamp! Iconic Mid Century Lighting 1960s
By Robert Sonneman
Located in Peoria, AZ
SONNEMAN! MID CENTURY MODERN ATOMIC AGE CHROME TOWERS SMALL TABLE LAMP! ICONIC! EPIC DESIGN! CIRCA 1967 DIMENSIONS: HEIGHT 18" This super rare chrome table lamp is one of the most coveted Sonneman lamp designs and made its first appearance in the late sixties. It features five chrome arms emerging from a double tier chrome base. The design is very elegant and yet eye-popping! This small Sonneman design is one of the hardest to obtain and decorators snap them up when they find them in the marketplace! It's timeless interior sophistication! This monumental lamp looks absolutely amazing! This piece is a show-stopper! Great mid century lighting...
Metal, Chrome
Walter Von Nessen Art Deco Chrome Table Lamp! Mid Century Modern Decorator Rare
By Walter Von Nessen
Located in Peoria, AZ
ONE OF THE MOST COVETED NESSEN LAMPS IN THE WORLD! MINIMALIST ART DECO STYLE! CHROME RING BASE WITH TRIPOD TOWER STRUCTURE! WHITE LINEN SHADE (APPROX. 24" TALL By 18" WIDE ) Th...
Metal, Chrome
Art Deco Articulating Desk Lamp. 1939 NYWF Rare Simulated Metal Leather
By Donald Deskey
Located in Peoria, AZ
Rare and Striking! Art Deco Metal & Brass Articulating Desk Lamp With Faux Leather Enamel Circa 1939 At the time of the New York World's Fair of 1939, designers architects and engineers were all inspired to bring about and summon "The Future!" This extremely rare lamp is a great example of the designs, ideas and aesthetic of this momentous period! Here an articulating brass banded drum shade swivels on a great expansive brass arch! Arches added a sense of drama and importance to an object and were used very successfully in this time period to bring both formality and dynamism to furnishings! This drum shade beams light where desired and it is covered with an enamel pattern designed to look like leather. This element is very rare and is one of the first industrial age examples of decorating metals and plastics with "natural" patterns. This would become fairly common place decades later as the "wood" trim on cars was decorative plastic and before that, contact paper was introduced to a design conscious public. At this time, several extremely high end desk lamp designs featured leather wrappings, particularly those coming out of Europe, who were still employing more handmade furnishings. So this design feature was not just a random whim, but an effort to convey "old world" imagery to a very industrialized product. Now, almost 85 years later, as most leather wrapped lamps...
Metal
Knoll Clay Michie Swing Arm Saucer Desk Lamp, 1950s Mid Century Atomic MCM Light
By Clay Michie
Located in Peoria, AZ
CLAY MICHIE FOR KNOLL ARTICULATING SAUCER DESK LAMP NO. 8 RARE W/ BULB DIFFUSER DIMENSIONS: Approximately 17" Tall Base: 8" Shade Diameter: 11" Here is the large, iconic, mid cent...
Metal, Chrome
Koch & Lowy Floor Lamp Brass Articulating Dimmer Iconic Mid Century Design 1970s
By Koch & Lowy
Located in Peoria, AZ
Koch & Lowy MID CENTURY BRASS FLOOR LAMP ICONIC DESIGN DIMENSIONS: 44" to 61" TALL Approximately 15" WIDE Perfect for reading! This is a gorgeous articulating, brass floor lamp ...
Brass
Chrome Eyeball Task desk Lamp 1970s Mid Century
By Kovacs, Robert Sonneman
Located in San Diego, CA
Eyeball Table Lamp by Robert Sonneman for George Kovacs. Multidirectional desk or table lamp in chrome. Provides concentrated task lighting utilizing a spot bulb (included). A narrow...
Metal
Sonneman Chrome Eyeball Articulating Floor Lamp
By Robert Sonneman
Located in Hanover, MA
1960s articulating floor lamp by Robert Sonneman with chrome eyeball shade attached by an articulating joint to the long chrome stem at the base of whic...
Chrome, Iron
Robert Sonneman Chrome Articulating Eyeball Floor Lamp
By Robert Sonneman
Located in New Windsor, NY
Chrome articulating eyeball floor lamp by Robert Sonneman. Black powder coated iron base that support a slender chrome stem ending in the eyeball orb lamp at the top. Adjustable so i...
Steel, Chrome, Iron
1960's Mid-Century Modern Space Age Adjustable Chrome Eyeball Floor Lamp
By Kovacs, Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Robert Sonneman
Located in Burbank, CA
Vintage original Mid Century Modern eyeball floor lamp for sale. It has been professionally re-wired, and is in excellent condition. It's in the manner of Robert Sonneman designs, an...
Chrome
Vintage Robert Sonneman Chrome Adjustable 'Arc' Lamp
By Robert Sonneman
Located in Brooklyn, NY
1960s Robert Sonneman floor lamp featuring an arching arm, which connects the chrome ball fixture to the stem - all supported by a painted-steel, circular base. The arm height is adj...
Chrome, Steel
Robert Sonneman Style Chrome Eyeball Floor Lamp
By Robert Sonneman
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Minimalist chrome eyeball floor lamp in the style of Robert Sonneman with black base. The chrome head is adjustable.
Chrome
