As the days get shorter and the afternoons darker, we seek solace in the warm illumination of small lamps for our tables, desks or bedsides. Compact companions to tide us over the gloomier months, they are new designs from some of our favourite contemporary creatives, or newly reissued classics from design legends. Either way, these expressive new table lamps are on our winter wishlist.
Best new lamps for winter 2025
‘KD28’ by Joe Colombo, for Kartell
We are fans of Joe Colombo’s bold, colourful furniture and objects, embodying design’s most optimistic and functional spirit. The ‘KD28’ lamp was first launched in 1967, and this new iteration is faithful to the original form, updated with recycled materials and a shade finished with a treatment that contributes to creating a warm light. The colour choice will make the maximalists in the audience happy: Bordeaux, Woodland Green, Dove Grey, Orange, Petroleum, Mustard, Black and White, also featuring a textile-covered power cable to match.
‘Hoop’ by John Tree, for Vaarnii
Since launching in 2022, Vaarnii has been on everyone's radar as a design company to watch. Working predominantly in pine wood ('the perennial underdog', co-founder Antti Hirvonen told us), the brand introduced furniture and small objects to start with, later branching out into outdoor design and lighting as its collections grew. This lamp by London-based designer John Tree is available in two sizes and features a hefty, pine wood base holding the electrical components, paired with a slim, pine wood veneer shade that loops around the lighting source.
‘Rumee’ portable lamp by Gabriel Tan, for Louis Poulsen
Heritage Danish lighting brand Louis Poulsen is guided by a motto of 'design to shape light'. This year, it enlisted Singaporean designer Gabriel Tan to create its latest piece, a portable, rechargeable lamp that has an organic, expressive quality, while at the same time functions as a well-crafted lighting tool. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, the ‘Rumee’ lamp emits a 360-degree soft and dimmable ambient glow, its tilted head offering a diagonal and downward-facing light that makes it an ideal reading lamp.
‘Fire’ by Grau
Made of aluminium and hand-blown glass, Grau's latest lighting tool is a playful and compact portable lamp. Technology is gracefully embedded into the design, which promises up to 50 hours of battery life, ultra-fast charging (two hours), a smart LED battery indicator and the option of sunset dimming and a sleep timer. The new lamp is a fitting embodiment of the company's new direction: since relaunching in 2022, Grau has strived to combine poetic lighting instruments with the finest cutting-edge technology to create veritable illuminating tools.
‘Press’ table light by Tom Dixon
This table lamp by Tom Dixon combines a hefty form with a material bound to create an atmospheric effect. Made of chunky coils of pure glass, the lamp (also available in a ceiling series) features a warm light and interchangeable metal domed top caps available in gold, silver or black.
‘Cilia’ table lamp by David Pompa
Described by its creator as 'a minimalist, tactile centrepiece', David Pompa's ‘Cilia’ table lamp features the most essential aluminium base topped by a hand-woven palm shade. Handcrafted in Mexico, the lamp features an upward light source to create a pleasant environmental glow.