Seletti Monkey Lamp

Last updated: 30 August 2026

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What the Seletti Monkey Lamp actually is

Essentially it is a life-size resin monkey, holding a lit bulb at arm's length. That is the whole idea, and it has not changed since the design magazine Gessato covered it in May 2015. The designer is Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, usually credited simply as Marcantonio. Meanwhile the maker is Seletti, an Italian company based at Cicognara in Lombardy.

Seletti's own description calls it "a crazy and crafty family" with "a strong theatrical impact". That is fair. The sculpting is good. Meanwhile the fur texture reads properly at arm's length, and the bulb sits where a torch would. Consequently the thing works as an object first and a light second.

The range has since grown well beyond the original sitting monkey. There are now six poses, and most of them come in more than one finish.

Every version, size and price

Seletti splits the Monkey Lamp into three families. There is an indoor range in white resin, an outdoor-rated range in black, and an outdoor range in white. The poses repeat across them, though not completely. All prices below are Seletti's own UK prices, checked on 30 August 2026, and each one links to that exact item.

Indoor, white resin

Each of these takes a 4W E14 LED at 350 lumen, and one comes in the box. Seletti and Selfridges both mark them indoor use only.

The indoor sitting version, 14882UK, the cheapest Monkey Lamp Seletti sells in the UK at £219.

Outdoor, black resin

For a garden, the black range is the one to buy. It carries a 2W E14 LED, an eight-metre cable and an IP44 rating, according to UK stockist Glow. Seletti and Selfridges both say it works indoors as well.

Outdoor, white resin

Seletti also lists four outdoor versions in white. They share the black range's 2W bulb, but they drop to 200 lumen. On the day we checked, three of the four were sold out, so treat this family as the harder one to get.

Where the Seletti Monkey Lamp is cheaper than list price

List price is not the only price. When we looked, two UK retailers were running the lamp below Seletti's own figure. One of them was a long way below it.

Each Glow line showed between one and four units left, so those cuts are clearance rather than a standing price. Selfridges also carries the range. However, the sitting version at £219 and the black sitting at £236 were both out of stock on the day. Fenwick had listed the black sitting version at £68.70. That would be remarkable, except that it too was out of stock, and it has since dropped out of their search results.

Shop every Monkey Lamp version at Seletti UK, from £219

What it is like to live with

The sitting version weighs 1.3kg and measures 34cm across, so it needs a proper surface rather than a narrow shelf. Selfridges lists that weight, and the footprint means a console, a sideboard or a wide bedside table. Then there is the cable to plan for. Glow gives it as 4.5m of white braided flex with an inline switch. That is generous. Still, 4.5m of visible cable is a design decision you are agreeing to.

As for light output, it is decorative rather than functional. A 4W bulb at 350 lumen is roughly a candle-and-a-half of usable glow, so this will not light a room to read in. Instead it does the job of a table lamp on a dimmer: a warm point of light in a corner, on all evening. The black outdoor version is dimmer still at 200 lumen.

White resin picks up dust in the fur texture. It also shows fingermarks around the arm, where people pick it up. A soft brush sorts both out, but it is not a wipe-clean object.

Bulbs, cables and fittings

Every version takes an E14 small screw bulb, and Seletti includes one. First, the indoor bulb is a P45G LED at 220 to 240 volts and 4W. The outdoor bulb is different: it runs at 36 volts and 2W, stepped down by the driver on an eight-metre cable. So an outdoor Monkey Lamp is a low-voltage fitting, and you cannot simply drop a shop-bought E14 into it.

Replacements then come direct. Seletti sells the indoor bulb and the outdoor bulb at £11 each. There is also a small Monkey lampshade at £16, in black or white, which softens the bulb considerably. Note that the lampshade is marked indoor use only, even on the outdoor lamps.

The hanging, ceiling and swing versions arrive with their own cable and ceiling fixing. So they hang from a hook or a rose, like any pendant. Seletti does not publish an IP rating on its own UK listings. So the IP44 figure above comes from Glow, not from the manufacturer. If the lamp is going somewhere genuinely exposed, ask the retailer to confirm it in writing first.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Above all it suits people who want one loud object in an otherwise calm room. It photographs beautifully, it starts conversations, and at 34cm the sitting version has real presence without dominating. If you already own something from our designers gift guide, this sits alongside it happily.

It does not suit everyone, and Seletti pieces divide people sharply. For example, some readers will see a witty piece of Italian design. Others will see a resin monkey costing more than two hundred pounds, and they are not wrong about the price. Around £219 buys a very good conventional lamp, and our Anglepoise Paul Smith edition page covers one of those. Buy this one because you want the monkey, not because you need the light.

Seletti Monkey Lamp FAQs

How much does the Seletti Monkey Lamp cost in the UK?

Between £219 and £340 at Seletti's own UK store, depending on the pose and finish. Of those, the sitting version is the cheapest at £219. Glow was running the same version at £149 on 30 August 2026, with two left in stock.

How many versions are there?

Sixteen, at least in the UK. Six indoor white, six outdoor black and four outdoor white, across sitting, standing, hanging left, hanging right, ceiling and swing poses.

Can the Seletti Monkey Lamp go outside?

Only the black range and the four white outdoor versions. Glow rates those at IP44 and Seletti marks them for indoor or outdoor use. The white indoor range is explicitly indoor only, so do not put one on a patio.

What bulb does it take?

An E14 small screw, always supplied with the lamp. Indoor versions use a 4W LED at 350 lumen and 230 volts, while outdoor ones do not. Outdoor versions use a 2W LED at 36 volts, so they need Seletti's own replacement rather than a generic bulb.

Who designed it?

Marcantonio Raimondi Malerba, an Italian designer usually credited as Marcantonio, for Seletti. The lamp was in the design press by May 2015, so the family is now a decade old.

Is it real or is there a fake version?

Copies circulate widely, so buy from Seletti UK or a named stockist such as the Design Museum Shop, Selfridges or Glow. A genuine one carries a Seletti product code in the 148xx or 149xx range, printed on the box.

What is it made of?

Resin, then hand-finished. The white versions carry a white paint finish. Meanwhile the outdoor range uses a black coating instead, which is what makes it weather-tolerant.

How bright is it?

Not very, and deliberately so. 350 lumen indoors and 200 lumen outdoors puts it firmly in mood lighting rather than task lighting.

More from CoolCuration

• Studio Arhoj Ghost Light: a much smaller sculptural lamp, for a fraction of the money.
• New home gift guide: presents for people who have just moved and have empty surfaces to fill.
• Best housewarming gifts UK: what to take round when you are invited to see the new place.
• Penpot: the open-source design tool we use, for the designers who buy lamps like this.
• Best energy switching bonus UK: because something has to pay for leaving a lamp on all evening.

Prices, stock and product details change. Everything on this page was checked on 30 August 2026 against Seletti's UK store, the Design Museum Shop, Selfridges and Glow.

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