Paul Mayén

PAUL MAYÉN (1916- 2000).
Pair of table lamps "Tangola", ca.1980.
Aluminum and iron.
Measurements: 47 x 14 x 17 cm.

Attractive table lamp, model Tangola, designed by Paul Mayén for Habitat in the early 1980s. It features a minimalist cast iron base combined with a cylindrical aluminum shade, embodying Mayén's characteristic blend of industrial materials and refined simplicity.

Known for his architectural training and modernist designs, Mayén's work often blurred the boundaries between sculpture and furniture. The Tangola lamp is no exception: its geometric form and contrasting materials make it a bold and versatile lighting solution for modern, eclectic interiors.

Paul Mayén was a Spanish architect and industrial designer, best known for his work on Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. He was born in La Línea de la Concepción, Cádiz, Spain. He graduated from Cooper Union (BFA) and earned a master's degree at Columbia University in New York. He was an industrial designer and professor at Cooper Union and The New School. His designs for lamps, tables and other furniture are part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. He founded the companies Habitat, Intrex and Architectural Supplements, Inc. His partner, Edgar Kaufmann Jr. (son of Fallingwater's original owner), inherited the house. Between 1979 and 1981, Mayén oversaw the construction of the Fallingwater Pavilion, which houses the cafeteria, gift store and visitor center. He had a working relationship and partnership with Edgar Kaufmann Jr. until Kaufmann Jr.'s death in 1989.