Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906 to 1999) was a Swedish designer and architect. Born in Helsingborg, she trained at Konstfack in Stockholm and ran her own shop and studio in the city in the early 1930s. In 1940 she emigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, where she opened a shop on Rodeo Drive. From the late 1940s she turned increasingly to architecture, designing houses in and around the city alongside her furniture and lighting.
Her work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Sweden's Nationalmuseum. The Nationalmuseum's example is the freestanding lamp known as the Grasshopper, which the museum dates to 1947. That lamp is the starting point for this collection. The three lamps here carry its name in three forms: a freestanding lamp, a smaller lamp for a desk or side table, and a lamp that hangs from a cable.
The three lamps share a name and a carbon steel construction, but they ask very different things of a room. This is what each one needs, taken from its product page.
Lamp | Size | Weight | Bulb (not included) | Power | Dimming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Freestanding | H 125.5, W 30, D 43.5 cm | 5.6 kg | E27, 60 W | UK and Euro plug; switch on the cable | By an independent switch |
Desk or side table | H 41.2, W 15, D 14.4 cm | 2.9 kg | E14, 60 W maximum | UK and Euro plug | Not listed |
Hung from a cable | H 35.3, W 15, D 15 cm; cable 180 cm, fully adjustable | 1.2 kg | E27, 60 W maximum | Electrician recommended | Yes, dimmer not included |
The freestanding lamp is the simplest to live with. It stands 125.5 cm tall on a tripod base that tilts backwards, arrives with no assembly and plugs straight into a socket. The shade rotates to direct the light, which makes it a natural reading light beside a chair or sofa. See more floor lamps.
The smaller lamp takes a different bulb. At 41.2 cm tall, it suits a desk or side table, and its shade tilts and rotates through 360 degrees. Its product page lists an E14 fitting, while the other two take E27, so check the fitting before you buy bulbs. Compare other table lamps.
The hanging lamp is the only one that needs wiring. Its product page recommends an electrician, and its 180 cm cable is fully adjustable, so the drop can be set during installation over a kitchen worktop, a bar or a desk. Browse more pendant lights.
Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906 to 1999) was a Swedish designer and architect, born in Helsingborg. She trained at Konstfack in Stockholm and ran her own shop and studio there in the early 1930s. In 1940 she emigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, where she designed houses as well as furniture and lighting. Her work is held by MoMA in New York and Sweden's Nationalmuseum.
Sweden's Nationalmuseum, which holds an example in its collection, dates the freestanding lamp known as the Grasshopper to 1947, and records it as made that year by a Swedish lighting firm. It is the design this collection is built around. The three lamps here carry its name as a freestanding lamp, a smaller lamp for a desk or side table, and a lamp that hangs from a cable.
No. They are reproductions made in the style of Greta Magnusson Grossman's design, 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, dimensions, weight, bulb fitting and wiring, so you can check exactly what you are buying before you order.
Two unrelated designs happen to carry the same nickname. Alongside these lamps, Mobelaris sells a leather lounge chair of the same name, designed by Fabricius and Kastholm. The chair has no connection with Greta Magnusson Grossman. If you searched for the name and wanted seating rather than lighting, you will find the chair in the Fabricius and Kastholm collection.
None of the three includes a bulb, so buy one separately. The freestanding lamp and the hanging lamp each take one E27 bulb of up to 60 W. The smaller lamp for a desk or side table is different: its product page lists an E14 fitting, also up to 60 W. Check the fitting on each product page before you buy bulbs, especially if you are buying more than one lamp.
Only the hanging lamp. Its product page recommends an electrician, and its 180 cm cable is fully adjustable, so the drop is set during installation. The freestanding lamp and the smaller lamp both come with a UK and a Euro plug, so they plug straight into a socket and need no wiring. Their product pages also say no assembly is required.
Two can. The freestanding lamp is listed as dimmable by an independent switch, and the hanging lamp as dimmable with the dimming device not included, so a compatible dimmer needs to be fitted separately. The smaller lamp's product page does not list dimming, so do not assume it for that one. The freestanding lamp's own on and off switch sits on its cable.
Yes, on the two plug-in lamps. The smaller lamp's shade tilts and rotates through 360 degrees, and the freestanding lamp's shade rotates on its angled neck, so you can direct the light for reading or soften it for background light. On the hanging lamp, the adjustment is the drop instead: its cable can be shortened or lengthened during installation.
All three come in black, white, orange, charcoal grey and grey blue, and the freestanding lamp also comes in old pink. Each product page shows the colours currently offered for that lamp. Lead times can differ between colours of the same lamp, so check the page for the exact finish you want before you order, rather than assuming every colour ships at the same speed.
It depends on the lamp and the colour. 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.
