Bernard-Albin Gras (1886 to 1943) was a French designer who also worked as an engineer. In the early 1920s he designed a series of adjustable lamps for offices, drawing offices and industrial workshops.
The idea was a practical one: a jointed metal arm, a small round shade, and no more parts than the job needed. The design is still sold today, a century later, for homes as well as workplaces.
All five lamps here are the same basic idea at five different sizes: a jointed arm in black aluminium and carbon steel, ending in a small round shade you angle by hand. The question that separates them is how far the light needs to travel from its fixing point.
From shortest to longest, by the arm lengths listed on each product page:
The table and short wall versions share one arm. Both list a 40 cm first segment and a 20 cm second one, so the light reaches the same distance. The choice between them is only whether the base sits on the desk or the fixing sits on the wall, and whether you want the larger 23 cm shade or the smaller 14 cm one.
The two 304 wall versions differ by 20 cm and nothing else. Shade, bulb and finish are the same, so pick the L60 only if the light has to cross further, for example from a wall beside a bed to a book held in the middle of it.
The bar-mounted 214 is the one for a wide span. Its 118 cm bar is longer than any arm in the collection, and it carries a larger shade than the 304 versions. See the full range of wall lamps for other sizes.
The floor version is the only one that needs no wall and no desk. Its 115 cm and 60 cm arm sections are the longest here. Compare other floor lamps and table lamps across the site, or the jointed-arm, turning-shade designs of Bernard Schottlander.
Bernard-Albin Gras (1886 to 1943) was a French designer and engineer. In the early 1920s he designed a series of adjustable lamps for offices and industrial workshops, built from a jointed metal arm and a small round shade. The same simple design is still sold today, a century later, for homes as well as workplaces.
In the early 1920s. Sources differ on the exact year, with both 1921 and 1922 given, so this page does not name one. The lamps were first intended for offices, drawing offices and industrial workshops, where an adjustable light that could be angled precisely over a work surface was the whole point of the design.
No. They are reproductions made in the style of Bernard-Albin Gras's designs, and each product page in this collection states that the item is not manufactured by or affiliated with the original designer. Each product page lists its own materials, arm lengths, shade size and bulb fitting, so you can check exactly what you are buying before you order.
Five: three wall lamps (a short-arm, a long-arm and a bar-mounted version), one floor lamp and one table lamp. All five have an aluminium and carbon steel frame in black, which is the only finish listed for each of them. Their arms run from 40 cm and 20 cm on the table and short wall versions to 115 cm and 60 cm on the floor version.
Only the first arm segment. The 304 L40 has a 40 cm first segment and the 304 L60 a 60 cm one; both have a 20 cm second segment, a 14 cm shade and the same bulb fitting. Choose the longer one when the lamp has to reach further across a bed, chair or desk than 60 cm of arm allows.
The floor version, with arm sections of 115 cm and 60 cm on a 28 cm base. Among the wall versions, the bar-mounted 214 has the widest span, with a 67 cm and a 20 cm arm on a 118 cm bar. The table version and the short wall version have the shortest arms, at 40 cm and 20 cm.
For the three wall versions, the product pages advise one. The floor and table versions need no electrician: both are listed with a UK and Euro plug and no assembly required. If you rent or cannot move a cable, the freestanding pair are the two that work without any electrical work at all.
The three wall versions take one E14 bulb, with 40 W as the maximum, and the floor version takes one E27 bulb, also up to 40 W. For the table version, check the bulb fitting on its product page before buying one. No bulb is included with any of the five, so buy one separately before the lamp arrives.
The three wall versions are listed as dimmable, with the dimming device not included, so a compatible dimmer needs to be fitted separately. The floor and table product pages do not list dimming. If dimming matters for one of the freestanding versions, check its product page or ask customer support before ordering.
It depends on the lamp. Some pieces and finishes are held in stock for faster dispatch, while others take longer. Each product page shows its current lead time under the Add to Cart button, and the delivery date is confirmed by email once the order is placed, with updates on its progress after that.
