Panthella, Nesso or Teodor comes down to what you want the lamp to do. The Louis Poulsen Panthella 250 is the brightest and most refined, a 10W LED at 428 lumens, and costs $645 to $690 at US retailers. The Artemide Nesso, designed in 1967, is the bold plastic sculpture, listed at $405 on Dwell. The Teodor by BO-HA is the small, colourful mushroom lamp at $119.95 in nine colours. If you want a reading light, buy the Panthella. If you want a centrepiece, the Nesso. If you want colour on a nightstand or a credenza without a designer price, the Teodor. Here is the full comparison.
Three Takes on One Shape
The mushroom lamp is one of the shapes that defines the 1960s and 70s: a dome over a stem, nothing extra. The dome hides the bulb and throws light down and around the base, so it lights a table rather than your eyes. In a mid-century room with walnut and warm wood, that soft downward glow is exactly right, and it is why I keep coming back to this shape. I covered the wider Bauhaus side of the story in the best Bauhaus lamps.
The Panthella and the Nesso are design originals. The Teodor is not a copy of either; it is a small mushroom lamp in the same tradition, sold at a fraction of the price.
Side by Side
| Panthella 250 | Nesso | Teodor by BO-HA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | Louis Poulsen | Artemide | BO-HA |
| Look | Smooth white dome | Large plastic mushroom | Small rounded dome |
| Light | 10W LED, 428 lm, 2700K | Check listing | Soft glow down and around |
| Colours | Check listing | White, orange and others | Nine |
| Price seen | $645 to $690 | $405 (Dwell), $360.50 on sale elsewhere | $119.95 |
Prices come from the brand or retailer pages we checked on October 14, 2026, and they change.
The Lamps
1. Teodor by BO-HA: Best for Colour on a Budget
The Teodor by BO-HA is a small mushroom table lamp with a rounded dome. BO-HA lists nine colours: orange, pink, white and green, wood orange, purple, light yellow, green, white and brown. Orange and light yellow are the period colours; brown and white keep it quiet next to walnut.
Its size is its strength. It fits on a nightstand, a bookshelf or the end of a credenza, where a Panthella 250 would crowd the surface. Two in the same colour either side of a sofa or bed look deliberate. At $119.95, a pair costs less than one Nesso.
My note: pick one strong colour and repeat it once elsewhere in the room, a cushion or a print, so the lamp looks planned.
2. Louis Poulsen Panthella 250: Best Light
The Panthella is Verner Panton's mushroom lamp for Louis Poulsen, and the 250 is the larger table lamp. A US listing gives a 10W LED at 428 lumens and 2700K, which makes it the brightest lamp in this comparison and the only one I would call a proper reading lamp. The white dome spreads the light evenly with no hot spot. It is the lamp you buy once and keep.
3. Artemide Nesso: The Sculptural Original
The Nesso was designed in 1967 by Giancarlo Mattioli and the Gruppo Architetti Urbanisti Città Nuova for Artemide, and it is still made today. Dwell lists it at $405, and another US retailer showed it at $360.50 on sale from $515. It is large and made of plastic, with a dome that reads as sculpture even when it is off. Vintage examples on resale sites run from about $750 to $990.
The Nesso wants to be the centre of a surface: a coffee table, a sideboard or a wide console, with nothing much around it.
4. Louis Poulsen Panthella 160 Portable: Best Cordless
The Panthella 160 Portable is the small, cordless version. European listings give a dimmable 2700K LED at 150 lumens, an IP44 rating and 8.5 hours of run time at full power, at about €159 on sale to €200. At 150 lumens it is a glow rather than a reading light, but it moves from the dining table to the patio and back, which suits a canyon house with indoor and outdoor rooms.
5. Artemide Nessino: The Smaller Nesso
The Nessino is the smaller Nesso, in plastic and several colours, at about £142 to £158 at UK retailers. If the Nesso is too big for your table, this is the same idea at nightstand size.
Which One for Which Room
- Reading chair or desk: Panthella 250, for its 428 lumens.
- Coffee table or wide sideboard: Nesso, as the one sculptural object.
- Nightstands in pairs: Teodor by BO-HA, in a colour that repeats in the room.
- Dining table and patio: Panthella 160 Portable.
- Small bedroom or shelf: Nessino or Teodor.
For how I place lamps in a reading corner, see my clerestory reading corner, and for styling one on walnut, styling a walnut credenza.
Plastic, Metal or Glass?
Plastic, like the Nesso, is light, colourful and hard to break, which matters with kids or pets. Painted metal sends light down and keeps the top dark, so the lamp reads as a solid shape. Opal glass glows all over and gives the softest light, but it is fragile. None is better; they make different rooms.
Bulbs and Warmth
Whatever you choose, keep the light warm. A 2700K LED makes walnut, teak and brass look like themselves; a cool bulb turns them grey. It is the single cheapest upgrade in a mid-century room, and I explain why in the warm bulb secret.
The Short Version
The Panthella 250 is the best light and the best investment at $645 to $690. The Nesso is the 1967 sculpture at $405. The Teodor by BO-HA is the small, colourful mushroom lamp at $119.95, the one to buy in pairs. For cordless, the Panthella 160 Portable; for a smaller Nesso, the Nessino. Keep every bulb at 2700K.
