Bauhaus Gooseneck Banker's Desk Lamp

A gooseneck stem and an asymmetrical dome shade: two details that between them define the 1930s German task lamp. The gooseneck holds any position without a joint or a knob, and the asymmetric dome means the shade covers the source on the side facing you and opens on the side facing the work. Neither is decorative; both are the point.

That asymmetry is why the lamp is genuinely glare-free rather than just claimed to be. Direct task light without the source in your eyeline is difficult to achieve with a symmetrical shade, which is why every serious desk lamp since has used some version of the same trick. Polished chrome on the stem reflects a little of it back onto the work as well.

Four colours are offered at the same price: white and black for the restrained versions, red and green for the ones that read as period pieces. It suits a desk, a study or a workbench, and it is small enough to leave on a bedside as a reading light. Bulb not included; a warm white LED suits it. Indoor use. Polish the chrome and wipe the shade with a soft dry cloth.

• Stem: polished chrome gooseneck, holds any position
• Shade: asymmetrical dome, glare-free task light
• Colours: white, black, red, green, all one price
• Style: 1930s Bauhaus, industrial modernism, banker's lamp
• Suited to: desks, studies, workbenches, bedsides
• Bulb: not included, warm white LED recommended
• Voltage: 110V-240V
• Use: indoor
• Care: polish the chrome, wipe the shade with a soft dry cloth