Metalarte Coffee Bean Table Lamp

Materials: Chrome rods base and lampshade holder. Black plastic. Adjustable acrylic globe lampshade made of two parts. Porcelain E27 socket.

Height: 38 cm / 14.96”

Width: ∅ 34 cm / 13.38”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, but a white/opal one gives the best result.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: André Ricard in 1970.

Manufacturer: Metalarte, Paseo de la Ribera 115, Canovelles, Barcelona, Spain.

Other versions: This Metalarte coffee bean table lamp exists also as a wall lamp and a floor lamp. They were designed in 1969. Due to the shape of the lampshade, these lamps are called coffee bean.
A very similar table lamp was designed in 1973. It has a half globe lampshade.

André Ricard

André Ricard Sala was born June 18, 1929 in Barcelona, Spain. Ricard is an industrial designer. He designed mostly for Spanish companies, but also for firms such as Gaggia (coffee machines), Nestlé, Moulinex, Paco Rabanne, Pierre Fabre, Milus, Pierre Junod, Baume & Mercier and others.

He designed many lamps for Metalarte, the Tatu desktop spotlight from 1972 is his most famous. You can find it over here on Vintageinfo.

André Ricard received many awards, to name a few: the Spanish National Design Prize in 1987, the Catalan Saint George Cross and the IOC Olympic Order in 1993, in France the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1998 and the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2011.

Metalarte

The Metalarte company was founded in 1932 in Cannoveles, some 30 km/19 mi from Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. In the 1960s and 1970s it renewed its catalogue and started working with external designers and companies. For instance, they sold lamps produced by Louis Poulsen from Denmark and Arteluce and Stilnovo from Italy. Today the company is part of the Luxonia group. Together with the Troll and Sagelux brands.

Designers that worked for Metalarte are, among others: André Ricard, Enric Franch, Josep Lluscà, Estudi Blanc, Josep Aregall, Oscar and Sergi Devesa, Antoni Arola, Lievore Altherr Molina, Ricard Ferrer, George W. Hansen, Héctor Serrano, Jordi Llopis, Ana Mir, Emili Padrós, Otto Canalda and Ramón Úbeda.

Acrylic: often named by its commercial name: Perspex, Plexiglas, Crylux, Acrylite, Lucite, is a thermoplastic.