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When walking through the hypnotizing halls of IKEA, it’s easy to lose sight not only of your original shopping list but the long history behind the visionary Swedish company. It was formed in 1948, after World War II, around the then innovative model of canceling out the middleman to keep well-designed furniture attainable. (If you’re a nerd like us, you should probably hop on over to the digital IKEA Museum for more fun facts and PDFs of every single catalog.)
Since then, IKEA has commissioned renowned designers like Joe Columbo and Vico Magistretti, and more recently Ilse Crawford and Sabine Marcelis. While we continue to reap the benefits of designs like the circa-1984 Ivar storage system and circa-1979 Billy bookcase, there have, of course, been some discontinued lines over the past 75 years. But we’re not sure why—those no-longer-with-us items are as cool and funky as it gets. Among the easiest to find have been in the lighting category, on none other than Etsy.
Particularly covetable vintage IKEA lamps that you can buy right now span funky ’80s to ’90s Memphis styles, but be warned: You are about to enter a glorious online shopping hole that may be difficult to find a way out of. (A word to the wise: Take note of the outlet type; adapters may be needed for European plugs.)
Because all good things come to an end—aka sell out—you can always search “vintage IKEA lamp,” “‘80s IKEA lamp,” or simply the names of any of the models, below, for more finds.
Antimon Lamp
Before squiggles became the latest design trend, there was this dainty lamp rocking a wriggly base in 1996.
Neon Green Talvik Desk Lamp
The elongated shade and yellow-green hue make this light the right kind of weird. If you like it now, you’ll love it when it’s on; the light shines through pin-size holes to create a starlike effect.
Stoja Desk Lamp
The Memphis trend is alive and well and, thankfully, so is this table lamp designed by Ettore Sottsass himself. Bringing a full dose of fun to any table it graces, the toylike piece doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Iveken Ice Cube Lamp
Inspired by the space age and an ice cube (seriously), this ’90s lamp is as much a conversation piece as it is a light source. Thick frosted glass emits a soft glow, which means the ambience will be lovelier than ever.
Bista Porcelain Wall Lamp
This plug-in sconce’s pleated shade only looks like it’s made out of fabric, but the sculptural piece is actually porcelain.
Glass Lykta Lamp
At just under 10 inches tall, this mini find from the 1990s can live on a shallow bookshelf, kitchen counter, or side table moonlighting as a nightstand.
Galax Lamp
If you can score one more of these futuristic fixtures by Danish designer Bent Boysen, you could have a seriously groovy kitchen island lighting setup.
Robert Sonneman Mushroom Lamp
Robert Sonneman’s lamp from the ’80s looks like it could be brand-new, thanks to its trendy chrome finish and mushroom shade.