The Serge Mouille arm lamps are probably some of the most iconic floor lamps that we have ever known. Especially if you’re a mid-century lover like we are, then you have to know what we’re talking about. And if you don’t, well, now it’s your chance to get to know these stunning interior design essentials!

SEE ALSO: Floor Lamps Essentials: Cantilevered Lamp

Keep scrolling to know all about Serge Mouille’s iconic arm lamps!

Photo © Design Within Reach

Mouille, a French artisan, carefully crafted each of the original midcentury modern lamps himself and considered them to be works of art. Born in 1922, he began his career as a silversmith at just 15 years old. At the age of 30, a client tasked him with creating a large lamp for a large room, one that did not have all the busyness of Italian lamps on the market at the time. In response, Mouille designed and built his first lamp, an austere standing floor lamp with three arms.

Photo © Design Within Reach

In the design of all the arm lamps, each arm is topped with an aluminum “nipple” shade. These shades gave each lamp head maximum reflection for casting light, hide wiring in the back and are a major component of lots of variations on the original design.

Photo © Design Within Reach

The single-shade version is a good fit for smaller spaces, for example. It looks just stunning added to a Scandinavian interior design, maintaining the minimalist and clean feeling associated with that style.

In the photo above you can put the two versions of the design face to face and see how elegant they are in their own simplicity. However, that simplicity comes with a price and if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a Serge Mouille original design you might just want to hold on to it because we’re talking six-figure payouts from collectors, here…

But isn’t it just SO worth it?