K830 wall – a wall lamp defined by movement
Originally designed by Werner Glasenapp in the early 1930s, K830 wall is an exceptionally adjustable wall lamp with a remarkable range of movement. Freely rotating arms, stepless height adjustment and a rotating K831 lampshade allow the light to be positioned with remarkable precision across a generous projection of up to 124 cm.
Returned to production by Midgard on the basis of an original archival model, K830 wall is made in Germany and assembled in Hamburg.
K830 wall
K830 wall by Werner Glasenapp illuminating the library of Ferdinando Ballo, co-founder of the Milanese publishing house Rosa e Ballo. Domus No. 203, 1944.
K830 wall product details
The K831 pendant lamp is available in eight selected finishes: aluminium, brass, copper, powder-coated black, enamelled anthracite, enamelled cement grey, enamelled pale green and enamelled black.
The solid metal finishes retain the natural appearance of the material on both the inside and outside of the shade, subtly influencing the warmth and character of the reflected light.
The enamelled finishes are coated twice: coloured on the outside and white on the inside. The white enamel interior provides a neutral reflection, bringing out the natural qualities of the chosen light source.
Every K831 pendant lamp is supplied with a 3-metre black textile cable and a specially developed matt black powder-coated steel canopy.
Type
Pendant lamp with a movable lampshade for directional light.
Materials
Black Bakelite dome with integrated manual rotary switch.
Solid metal lampshade in aluminium, brass, copper or double-enamelled steel.
Cable
Black textile cable, standard length 3 metres.
Canopy
Matt black powder-coated steel canopy included.
Light Source
Standard E27 socket for retrofit LED bulbs.
We recommend an E27 retrofit LED with a colour temperature between 2700 K and 3500 K and 6–10 W (approximately equivalent to a 40–60 W incandescent bulb).
Please do not use incandescent or halogen bulbs exceeding 40 W.
Electrical Data
220–240 V · 50/60 Hz
Appliance Class II
About K830 wall
Three independent movements give K830 wall its exceptional versatility. The tubular steel arms rotate freely, while a textile cable running through the construction connects the lamp head to a counterweight for continuous, stepless height adjustment. The K831 lampshade rotates on its Bakelite dome to direct the light precisely where needed.
With a generous projection of up to 124 cm, K830 wall can extend across a desk, dining table, bedside or reading area while the wall mounting remains fixed. Its remarkable range of movement is achieved through a direct and economical mechanical principle.
Video
Watch how the K831 lampshade for K830 wall is made.
Made in Germany
K830 wall is a highly adjustable wall lamp made in Germany and assembled by Midgard in Hamburg.
Its double-enamelled K831 metal lampshade rotates on a Bakelite dome, with the classic rotary switch positioned on top. Individual components remain accessible and replaceable, supporting maintenance and repair over the lifetime of the lamp.
Adjustable lighting from the Bauhaus era
Three views of student rooms by Heinz Rau and Heinrich Schäfer document Werner Glasenapp’s K830 wall lamp at the Berlin Building Exhibition of 1931. Published as part of Die Wohnung unserer Zeit, the photographs show the lamp in use at the time of its creation, demonstrating its remarkable reach and adjustability within the modern interior.
Created during the Bauhaus period, K830 wall reflects ideas that shaped a generation of modern German lighting: movement over ornament, function over decoration, and engineering as the foundation of form. These principles continue to shape Midgard’s philosophy of making light adjustable today.
Werner Glasenapp and Midgard
Research by Midgard into surviving examples and historical sources
established Werner Glasenapp as the designer of K830 wall and brought the draft back into focus.
This history continues through the Glasenapp family. Today, his descendants manufacture tubular components for K830 wall in Germany, carrying a direct connection between Werner Glasenapp's design and its production today.
Part of the Midgard Heritage Collection
K830 wall forms part of the Midgard Heritage Collection, returning historically significant lighting designs to production.
Its principle touches the very philosophy of Midgard: making light adjustable. When returning K830 wall to production, the intention was to preserve the mechanical principle that made it remarkable in 1931: extensive movement achieved with a small number of precisely coordinated components.
More than ninety years later, the same principle continues to define K830 wall.
Part of the K830 and K831 lighting series
K830 wall is part of the lighting series developed by Werner Glasenapp in the early 1930s. Across the series, movement and the precise direction of light are integral to the construction.
The K831 pendant shares the characteristic rotating lampshade found on K830 wall. Suspended from a textile cable, the shade rotates on its Bakelite dome, allowing the direction of light to be adjusted.
Frequently asked questions
LIGHT SOURCE
The K830 wall lamp uses a standard E27 socket for replaceable LED bulbs. We recommend an LED light source of 6–10 W at 2700 K for warm, comfortable light. Other colour temperatures can be selected according to the application.
The K830 wall lamp and K831 pendant lamp belong to the lighting series developed by Werner Glasenapp in the early 1930s. Both feature the characteristic rotating K831 metal lampshade on a Bakelite dome, allowing the direction of light to be adjusted.
PLANNING & OPERATION
With a projection of up to 124 cm and an exceptional range of movement, the K830 wall lamp can provide adjustable light beside a bed or sofa, above a desk or table, and wherever light needs to reach different positions from a fixed wall mounting.
The K830 wall lamp has a rotary switch on top of the Bakelite dome for operating the light directly. Depending on the electrical installation, it can also be operated via a wall switch.
For project applications, the K830 wall lamp can also be supplied without the rotary switch on request.
