It Was All The Rage In The '80s — The Vintage Light At Thrift Stores That We Want In Our Homes

Slumber parties in the '80s were extra fun when you had the right kind of home decor. Touch lamps were a sneaky accompaniment to ghost stories; just one discreet brush of the fingers illuminated the bulb and elicited instant screams. If you weren't a tween in the '80s, you won't relate to this scenario, especially now that we can use an app to operate nearly any electrical device imaginable. Recent innovations might make them seem ho-hum in comparison, but if you can score one of these lamps that defined '80s homes today, those qualities are just as enjoyable in the 21st century.

For many second hand shoppers, touch lamps have become "holy grail" thrift store finds. People are snagging mint-condition lamps for shocking deals, occasionally even for free, and the novelty of turning them on with a quick fingertip tap hasn't dimmed one bit.

Touch lamps typically have a metal base or other metal components that detect your body's natural electrical capacitance to switch the bulb on. TikTok is teeming with thrifted lamp finds that range from subtly '80s to straight-up kitsch — think gloriously backlit images of wild animals on glass — while others barely suggest a past decade at all. The requisite metal touch component is occasionally just a small accent, but a more common lamp design was brass-heavy with a shade made from etched, painted, or printed glass panels framed in more brass. Many have three light levels that another few touches will activate, as well.

Sad stories of leaving non-functioning touch lamps on Goodwill shelves behind are present on the socials. Tales exist of left-behind lamps that shoppers were unsure of how to style, too. Don't miss an opportunity to bring a touch lamp home in either situation. There are troubleshooting tips that can improve the performance of older lamps, and video tutorials may even help you revive one that no longer works. If you strike out on your touch lamp styling experiment, you can always sell it online, where similar lamps often fetch $50 or more.

For a lamp that's barely passing a plug-in test, try a few tricks first before deciding that it's broken. The lamp may have a manual on and off switch. First, make sure that this is switched on. A flickering bulb could be a sign that the bulb itself is the problem; make sure to use a dimmable bulb for a three-way lamp. Otherwise, tightening the bulb or replacing it with a new dimmable bulb could do the trick. If the touch function isn't working, unplugging the lamp for a few minutes may help reset the touch control before trying it again.

Fitting a touch lamp into your decor is the next challenge. Ones without distinctive period looks will fit in nearly anywhere, but others like the brass-and-glass models can be a bit harder to fit into an existing decor scheme. This once-dated metallic light trend happens to be making a comeback, and its slightly Victorian, cottage-inspired look makes these lamps feel right at home in rooms with feminine or country-inspired style.