The Prairie School of Design

Chicago was the epicenter of a major American design movement in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Called the Prairie School, this architectural movement was inspired by the wide open horizons of the American Midwest. In reaction to the Greek Revival structures erected for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the Prairie School wanted to create from the American experience.

Frank Lloyd Wright was the most famous member of the group which included many young architects working with Wright and Louis Sullivan . They used hip roofs with wide overhangs and horizontal rows of windows. They preferred high quality craftsmanship and wanted the structures to appear as if they grew from their surroundings.

To harmonize with their buildings, furniture and lamps were created to mirror the structure of the house. The Prairie Corn Oblong desk lamp seen above is a perfect example, as the oblong shade perfectly mirrors the long low roof lines of many Prairie School buildings. This lamp made by Meyda Tiffany can be found at Desk Lamp Daddy

Arts and Crafts Movement

During the late 1800's a design movement by the name of "Arts and Crafts" emerged in the US, England, and Canada. This movement was predominant in the United Sates between 1910 and 1925, in between Art Noveau and Art Deco. Designers in the Arts and Crafts movement grappled with the effects of the industrial revolution and mechanized production. They emphasized the production of craftsmen working by hand, producing objects of a greater variety and quality than a factory was likely to turn out.
Even with this emphasis, the most of the proponents of the Arts and Crafts movement did not go to extremes: they appreciated the freeing of workers from momotenous tasks by automated production. and sought to make the machine do the bidding of the craftsman instead of the worker being driven by the workings of the machine. They did not however, like to see the tasks of production broken up into components with one person doing only one segment of the work. They saw pride in production to be paramount in the process of creation.
The emphasis on personal production led the Arts and Crafts movement to prize objects that were somewhat rustic or unfinished. There was a deliberate attempt at expressing surface textures of ordinary materials, such as stone and tiles, with an asymmetrical and quaint building composition. The quality of a cottage was often evoked.
Desk lamps inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement can be found at desklampdaddy.

Design schools and the real world

In every era there are those people focused on interior design. Many times architechture is their focus, although they have also come from the ranks of fine arts academies. Whatever their backgrounds, it has always taken a group of influential people influencing one another to result in the formation of a design school. The people directly participating in shaping a new direction in design are most often working for wealthy patrons, who fund the bringing of vision into reality.

While a relatively small percentage of the general population is busy contemplating design and creating environments in which their ideas are expressed, the majority of the population live their lives on the periphery of the world of design. Today's world sees the availability of a variety of goods inspired by design schools in many eras. We are not bound by time, but have the choice to create our home and work environments from a diverse selection of goods inspired over time in many eras.

That selection of products has expanded exponintially with the availabilty of products through the internet. What is difficult to find in small locales is available to anyone with search skills on the web. Although it is likely that our individual preferences are more determined by outside influence than we are aware, we are free to express our own sense of style in whatever way we see fit to do so.

Find desk lighting options fitting a wide variety of decor styles at Desk Lamp Daddy .

Where to find Tiffany desk lamps

Even though the productions studios of Louis C. Tiffany closed in 1932, it is still possible to find high quality desk lamps produced in the same manner used by Tiffany Studios. Meyda Tiffany is todays foremost leader in Tiffany-inspired production in the United States. They have been working in Yorkville, Ny for the last thirty years. A family-run group of artisans, they are expert at both the metal and glass worked needed to produce these lamps. Many of their designs are inspired by Tiffany, among other famous designers. It is indeed the best of both worlds to be able to have a newly manufactured product, meeting all the current industry standards and incorporating high quality artistry. Find Tiffany desk lamps at Desk Lamp Daddy

Tiffany lamps in today's world

The intricate designs of Tiffany lamps can easily find a place the interior design of today's modern world. They offer color and intracacy---two elements often missing from the sleek, clean lines of modern settings. It is possible to use the opposing design elements of clean with intricate to complement one another. In fact, a Tiffany desk lamp can easily become the center of focus in a modern room. In order for this to work it is necessary to clear the room of clutter. Otherwise the clutter is the element of intricacy, low quality though it may be. find Tiffany desk lamps at Desk Lamp Daddy

Louis Comfort Tiffany

Without a doubt the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany has had a major impact in the design world. Tiffany lived from 1848 to 1933 in New York. He is best know for advances in stained glass production and design. Most stained glass had been created by putting a layer of paint on clear glass. Tiffany preferred embedding the glass with various minerals to incorporate color into the glass itself.Find Tiffany desk lamps at Desk Lamp Daddy