George Kovacs Lighting: The Wobble Lamp And Other Fun Lights

The Humor of George Kovacs Lighting

The creator of George Kovacs lighting imbued his work with touches of humor through many of the collections. This can be seen in the names of the products and the way the names suit the lights. Only George Kovacs could have come up with some of these inventions.

One of Kovacs early successes was the halogen torchiere lamp. He was the one who brought the halogen technology for lamps over from Europe. It made a big hit and influenced American lighting for decades, right up to today. However, perhaps the most interesting thing about the Kovacs products to many people is the designer’s sense of humor.

The Wobble Lamp

In the early 1970s, he made what he called a Wobble Lamp. This lamp had a bare bulb mirrored by a base that was shaped the same way. The lamp would wobble, but would never completely tip over. Kovacs said this lamp was as much a toy as it was a lamp.

Around the same time, George Kovacs marketed two other funny lamps. They were the Dumbbell lamp, which was shaped like barbells, and the Pushover, which had a slanted bean bag base. This was just the beginning of his interesting creations.

Kovacs designed a reading lamp during the early 1970s that has been popular ever since. He called it the Save Your Marriage wall mount dual lamp. The lamp can be positioned on the wall behind a bed so that one arm and lamp can be moved to each side.

Each side has an individual dimmer and is adjustable. It is just the thing needed for both people in the bed to get the light they need to read by. Later, Kovacs returned to the general idea of this reading and improved on it. He called his new light the Second Marriage.

The Flying Saucer

There are some other, less-known, Kovacs designs too. One is the Flying Saucer Wall Sconce. It is done in the shape of a disk, and has a shiny metallic finish. The Olive Oyl Lamp is a very tall and skinny floor lamp with small bulbs at the top.

The Dart Pendant is another lighting design that looks like its name. There are darts with their pointed ends in the center of the fixture and the other ends sticking out. It is made of polished metal. The Floppy Daisy line of lamps includes table lamps, floor lamps, hanging lamps and others. As the name implies, the lamps have floppy shades.

Kovacs had a line of pharmacy lamps called the Wah-hoo lamps. It is hard to say whether the crisp, black lines of these lamps have anything to do with the name. It is fun to imagine Mr. Kovacs coming up with the idea of naming the Wah-hoo!

George Kovacs lighting is not limited to funny lamps; far from it. The company, which was bought out by the Minka group in 2000, makes track and monorail lighting. They make elegant designs, such as the popular Soft series and the Canyon lamps. Kovacs lamps offer variety and style.