Tired of the same old lighting? While not new, Martinelli Luce’s serpentine lamps from the 1960s are sure to add a little zest to your decor. There’s a heavy dose of modern retro design in each of these pieces; the Cobra Table Lamp ($890) is classic Martinelli, with bubblicious curves and matte white resin. I love the swiveling arm – it allows you to switch from a spherical to a sinuisodal shape at a whim. The S-form in particular resembles an inquisitive, probing snake – it’s almost as if the lamp itself is alive.

If the Cobra seems animalistic, the Serpente Table Lamp ($980) and Serpente Floor Lamp ($1,499) are positively alien. The semi-translucent opal methacrylate diffusers that form the shade glow like something out of a 50′s B-movie, while the sinous neck briefly coils along the periphery of the circular base. These lamps don’t just light up your work surface–they seem to be intimately involved in your work.

For the more light-hearted, the Pipistrello Lamp ($1500) takes on a playful, plant-like shape with a four-lobed diffuser and cute, cone-like bases. The stainless steel segmented necks are functional, allowing the lamps to be telescoped from 26″ to 34″. Three of these lamps are actually housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – so owning them would be like having part of the Permanent Collection in your own home. Way cool!
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