Laurel Lamp Company

The Laurel Lamp Manufacturing Company Inc.—also known simply as Laurel—was a major player in American mid-century modern lighting and home decor. Operating out of Newark, New Jersey from 1946 to 1981, the company was started by Max Weiss and his sons, Murray and Harold. Laurel built a strong reputation for innovative lamp designs, covering everything from traditional to post-modern styles. Co-founder Harold Weiss directed the company’s design vision, working alongside talented in-house creatives and famous international partners like Pierre Cardin, Bijan of California, and the House of Salviati in Murano, Italy.
 
The brand's roots actually go back to 1913, when Max Weiss, a Polish tinsmith who immigrated to the U.S., started an oil and gas fixture business called Habacht and Weiss with his uncle Aaron. As electricity took over, they pivoted to portable electric lamps, eventually renaming themselves the Sunset Lighting Fixture Company. By 1924, a merger turned them into the Mutual-Sunset Lamp Manufacturing Company. Max retired following a heart attack in 1943, but the family couldn't stay away from the business for long. In 1946, Max and his sons jumped back into the industry by launching Laurel. The new company grew rapidly, and in 1969, Instrument Systems Corporation (now Griffon) bought Laurel for $3.6 million, keeping Harold on as president. By 1971, Laurel had showrooms up and running in major design hubs like New York, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco.
 
Leadership shifted in 1979 when Henry Jampol took over as president, followed by Howard Wolff in 1981. That same year, the company's corporate status was revoked, and by 1983, Westwood Lighting Group bought Laurel’s remaining assets to fold the brand into their own lineup. Today, Laurel is highly remembered for its distinct, artistic designs, which were shaped heavily by Harold Weiss and sculptor Richard “Dick” Barr. Some of their most famous releases include a 1971 collaboration with Venetian glassmaker Salviati to create stunning sculptural glass lamps, and a major 1977 partnership with French fashion icon Pierre Cardin that marked Cardin's very first splash into the American home furnishings market.