The ‘total look’ lamp.
EXPLORE THE COLLECTION
THE TULIP-STEM
The Stemlite was inspired by the strong, organic, yet slender stems that support flower heads in nature. It comprises a die-cast metal base, evocative of a tulip-stem, topped with a mouth–blown glass globe, and a simple cylinder-shaped rotary switch underneath that gently rolls between the fingers from “on” through “off”.
REFINED DESIGN
The Stemlite design concept originally offered 48 modular variants using the same components to configure floor, table, and wall lights, each pared back to their simplest and yet most visually compelling form – and was extended between 1966 and 1971 to include more heights, stems, glass globes, shades, bulb variants and colors. This flexible yet cohesive approach aligns with Curry’s strong conceptual skills, honed while working as an ad man and art director, and the power of contrasting materials he refined at Design Line.
BILL CURRY
American designer Bill Curry (1927-1971) captured the zeitgeist of the 1960s and ‘70s with his iconic lamp designs. From his unique Los Angeles vantage point at the meeting point of art, design and engineering, during an era defined by the space race, pop culture and a new forward-looking optimism, he translated the wonder and delight he saw around him into simple yet intelligent ideas with clear visual narratives.
STEMLITE COLLECTION
The Stemlite (1962) was the first ‘total look’ lamp, a pioneering new typology conceived by American Designer Bill Curry, which replaced the traditional base-plus-shade form with a single self-contained unit comprising interchangeable modules.