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Fase President S/C desk lamp - 1970s catalogue picture

Fase President S/C Desk Lamp

Materials: Dark red painted round metal base. Wooden boomerang style arm with a black painted rectangular metal rod. Red lacquered round metal UFO lampshade. Chrome ring and joint. Glass diffuser below. Some chrome and metal parts. 2 Bakelite E27 sockets.

Height: 40 cm / 15.74”

Lampshade: ∅ 30 cm / 11.81”

Base: ∅ 20 cm / 7.87”

Electricity: 2 bulbs E27, 2 x 40 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Luis Pérez de la Oliva.

Manufacturer: Fase, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain.

Other versions: The Fase President S/C desk lamp was made in many colours over the years. orange, grey, ochre, black and so on. The lampshade can rotate left and right. Also a President with a counterweight balanced arm was produced. Fase produced many lamps in this style. Later versions have 2 screws in the wood, as you can see in the 1980s catalogue. 

Another Spanish company named Ma-Of produced a copy of this lamp with slight differences.

Fase

The Fase company was founded by self-made man Pedro Martin and designer Luis Pérez de la Oliva in 1964, some sources say 1966.

The Boomerang lamp was one of their first designs, you find it over here on Vintageinfo. Initially they sold their self-produced lamps to the markets in and around the capital Madrid before successfully opening a factory in Torrejón de Ardoz on the outskirts of the city.

They produced mainly lamps, but also ashtrays and other products such as office bins and coat racks.

Fase supplied many lamps to the offices of General Franco‘s dictatorial government and the Guardia Civil, some sort of military police. From 1975 on, after the death of Franco and the end of the regime, Fase started with Italian Modern and Bauhaus-inspired designs. The Spaniards were unfamiliar with this design because of the Franco regime that ruled the country with an iron fist and allowed few foreign influences.

During the 70s Fase exported lamps to Belgium, The Netherlands, LuxembourgGreat Britain, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Hong Kong, Morocco, the United States and Canada. In total in more than 32 countries.

The 1980s

In the 1980s Fase jumped on the bandwagon of the halogen lighting. The break with tradition proved unsuccessful and ultimately contributed to the end of the business. A large fine of the Treasury in the early nineties for tax irregularities was the end for Fase. The company was officially dissolved in 1996.

Drowned, the company sold its manufacturing license to a German brand, Ma-Of, which slightly modified the original design by adding more chrome. Before these final death rattles, the partners had already separated. Luis Pérez de la Oliva had created his own brand Lupela, another flagship of Spanish design. GEI (Gabinete Estudios Industriales – Cabinet Industrial Studies) was another company that sold similar lamps. Also Massive from Belgium produced a few lamps in this style.

When the company stopped producing them abruptly, there was a lot of ‘stock’ available in the warehouses. That’s why you find relatively many lamps with a label attached. Many lamps are sold new and never used in the box (NOS – New Old Stock).

Designers who have worked for the company include: Gabriel Teixidó. He designed the Iberia and Meca series and Tomás Díaz Magro, responsible for the Apolo, Minifase and Impala lamps. The most productive was Luis Pérez de la Oliva, who designed the majority of the Fase lamps.

Fase also sold lamps made by others such as the Yamada Shomei ‘Manon’ table lamp from Japan. You can find it over here on Vintageinfo. The Prisma table lamp was produced in Italy by F.A.A.I. Arredo. Also the Sinus stacking ashtray made by Helit from Germany. A design by Walter Zeischegg from 1967. You can find it here in the MoMA, New York. Fase also sold lamps from other companies.

Lamps in the movies

The Fase lamps were used as a prop in many films. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Mad Man-TV series (2007-2015), Atomic Blonde (2017), Made In Dagenham (2010), La Fôret-TV series (2017), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), many Almodóvar films, and so on.

Fase President S/C Desk Lamp – Catalogue 1977

Fase President S/C Desk Lamp round base wood arm UFO lampshade glass diffuser Spain 1970s catalogue picture

Lamps in the movies!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

A Fase President S/C desk lamp was used as a prop in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). The well known American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series.

Fase President Desk Lamp - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Mad Men (2007–2015) 

A Fase President S/C desk lamp was used as a prop in Mad Men, an American period drama television series (2007–2015).  The lamp is on Don Draper‘s desk, played by Jon Hamm. It occurs frequently in the series. 

Fase President SC Desk Lamp used as a prop in Mad Men (TV Series 2007–2015)

Zone Blanche (2018)

A Fase President S/C desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2016 French-Belgian television thriller series Zone Blanche (White Zone but named Black Spot in English). Starring Suliane BrahimHubert Delattre and Laurent Capelluto. Many other lamps were used as a prop. You can find several of them over here.

Fase President S/C desk lamp used as a prop in Zone Blanche (2017) TV series

La Belle Époque (2019)

A Fase President desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2019 French romantic comedy film La Belle Époque (The Good Times). Starring Daniel Auteuil, Guillaume Canet and Doria Tillier. The President is slightly different as the President S/C. It has a round rod, not a flattened and a handle.

Fase President desk lamp used as a prop in the film La Belle Époque (2019)

Man About The House (1973 – 1976)

A Fase President S/C desk lamp was used as a prop in the 1973 British sitcom Man About The House. It appears in episode 5 of the 1st series. Starring Richard O’Sullivan, Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett.

Fase President S/C desk lamp used as a prop in the 1973 TV series Man About The House

Las Leyes De La Frontera (2021)

A Fase President S/C desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2021 Spanish film Las Leyes De La Frontera (Outlaws). Starring: Chechu Salgado, Begoña Vargas and Marcos Ruiz. Many other (Fase) lamps appear in this film. You can find them over here.

Fase President S/C desk lamp used as a prop in the film Las Leyes De La Frontera (2021)

Star Trek Enterprise (2001 – 2005) 

A Fase President S/C desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2001 – 2005 American tv series Star Trek Enterprise, season 1, episode 15 (2002), named Shadows of P’Jem. Starring Scott Bakula, John Billingsley and Jolene Blalock.

Fase President S/C desk lamp prop in Star Trek Enterprise S1E15 Shadows of P'Jem (2002) TV series

L’Art Du Crime (2017 – )

A Fase President desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2017 – 2022 French crime tv series L’Art Du Crime, season 6, episode 1 (2022). Starring Nicolas Gob and Éléonore Bernheim.

Fase President desk lamp prop French TV series L'Art Du Crime (2017 - 2022)