what type of light for over a Saarinen tulip table?  

I love these. With all...
I love these. With all white, you could pick one color on this to make it pop ... or choose clear.
http://hivemodern.com/products/?view=sub_product&sid=430&cid=5&cid2=28
Lovely and unexpected while staying in the white/clear category.
http://hivemodern.com/products/?view=sub_product&sid=2158&cid=5&cid2=28

Does anybody
make a knock-off Nelson bubble, the horizontal oval ? That should light everything up nicely. If it's not bright enough, you can burn off the covering with a torch and install a 200-watt lamp. . .!

Hmmmmmm
Boy am I having flashbacks!!!! I am realizing I am trying to reclaim my youth!!! (I thought I satisfied it a bunch of years ago whenI bought my vintage Mercedes convertible that I used to fawn over in my youth!!!) OMG!!!!I AM LIVING IN MY MOM's HOUSE!!!! I Loved what she had though!!!! I loved all of it including the beautiful blond wood Heywood Wakefield living and dining room, the later I am begging my sister-in-law never to get rid of as she and my brother have taken over the home! I do like the idea of bubble type lamps (even though I had a plexiglass green one over our kitchen table with green tulip Naugahide chairs and a WHITE ROUND Formica Table). I am supposing that is why I bought my house - the retro (albiet '80s) style kitchen. Problem is when we go so sell this house, most will wonder why the heck we didn't contemporize the kitchen and all the young buyers will just HATE IT ~Elle

I think
it's a good idea to leave something for the new owner to do, to "make it their own." Perfectly good kitchens are replaced all the time by home buyers. . .

I think this would look good 🙂

California contemporary...
California contemporary French style Ranch.
I can read Foucault but thats got me stumped.

had that!
That was very similar to the lamp that waas in the kitchen when we bought the house. We took it out because all of the light focused on the table top and from above the light the whole room was dark. It illuminated the white table so much that I felt as if I was in an interrogation room! Hence the Home Depot special that was supposed to be temporary and 4 years later it's still there! I realized I was in trouble when a design show I was watching zerod in on my exact HD special and said it had to be replaced because it was so dated!

I love it !!
Hi Elle, I have the same table with eames wire chairs. I love this combination. The fixture has to be round that's for sure. I sugguest a LE KLINT or if you have more budget the Snowball or a PH5 from Poulsen. BEAUTIFUL !!
I have the 172 from Le Klint and i would never give it away. Good quality, easy to clean(under the shower) and a timeless piece. As well check out the 171/169 from LE KLINT. The klint's will lighten up you're surrounding better then a Poulsen. That's all I can think off when it comes to fixtures for a Saarinen table. Have fun http://www.louispoulsen.com:80/en-us/Product/Pendants/PH%20Snowball.aspx
http://www.leklint.dk/default.asp?id=30&prevref=2&cid=3&page=4

You have 1,000 choices
Gee whiz...any well designed hanging pendant would look beautiful over a Tulip table.
How about the Poul Henningsen PH5? Nothing's more classically beautiful than his designs.
Almost anything produced by Flos, Ardeluce, etc. from Italy would work too.
A reissue Bubble from Modernica would look swell too.
Or an Arco lamp from Flos.
Endless choices.
I own a Charles Eames dining table with the upholstered Eames metal leg dining chairs and I have a rare black PH5 pendant hanging over the table. It looks like a grouping one might find at a museum....perfectly matched!
I love it

I'd vote for the...
Artichoke Lamp by Henningsen if you want a pedigrree or just go to IKEA and pick something you like if you don't. IKEA's lighting is surprisingly well made and reasonably priced. Just be careful of transformers they eat electricity unnecessarily.

Oh My!!!
I never knew there were such beautiful lamps out there!!! They are all stunning!!!! My husband is already adding $$$$$ in his head and thinks that our Home Depot "chandelier" is just fine. Little does he know, his word is not final!!! He still can't understand why I ever wanted to change our original wrought iron bistro set we have had for 35 years (I still love it as does my daughter who will eventually get it but after all those years I wanted a change! and to reclaim my YOUTH!!!) Will be saving my money and making a major illuminating change in the kitchen!!! Thank you all!!!! You are the BEST!!!!

I have a friend who is a...
I have a friend who is a knoll dealer in Palm Springs CA I visited his store last month and he had a large marble oval Saarinen dining table with the said Foscarini, Caboche Light above it, it really looked good it was a nice mix of new and old
Personally I?d go with the Foscarini O Space (see pic below) its great as it not only lights downwards (directly onto the table) it also gives a nice soft light out through the sides

and the winner is.....
I have decided to purchase th PH5 pendant lamp in white for over my Saarinen set. It should look wonderful as it has a nice profile that will not block out my paintings that are on the wall next to it. When all is up and done, I will post photos. We are getting ready for a wedding reception for our son (our first child to get married!!!) in our home, and want to place to be "just perfect"! Thanks to all for your help! I should have come here long ago for design help, but hopefully the designing I have done before this will be accepted 😉 And now for help with a sofa and loveseat replacement! More to come!!!! ~L

~l
I got my PH5 on eBay from a Danish seller for less than 1/3 of the going price.
Do a search on eBay....you'll be pleased.