Best Bets:
Designs Worth Your Dime
The best things in life are free. The best things in design? Not so much. But there is more than one way to define the word “value.” Our favorite interpretation lies in creating a beautiful space that feels welcoming, comfortable and tells a story. Designer lighting and furniture is built to impress, but it’s also built to last and serve as modern art. Explore some of the most well-recognized designs below and find out why good design is worth your dime.
Written by Kelsey Kittle
Mirror Ball by Tom Dixon
Combining industrial materials with the glamour of British design, designer Tom Dixon’s namesake brand expresses an undeniable sense of independence and industriousness. The futuristic and forward-thinking Mirror Ball collection features an assortment of pendants and ultra-reflective, ultra-modern round shades inspired by a space helmet.
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Tolomeo by Artemide
High concept and high fashion, Artemide's innovative Italian lighting built to outlast trends and remain relevant in today's ever-evolving culture. The Tolomeo collection is exemplary Artemide—high-tech, elegantly crafted and totally timeless. Easily one of Italy's most recognizable designs, Tolomeo is a favorite on many TV and movie sets.
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PH 5 Pendant by Louis Poulsen
The name Louis Poulsen means distinctive modern Danish lighting. The company’s fundamental values--an understanding of the emotional effect of light and shadow and deep respect for architecture--are manifest in the sculptural form and precisely engineered function of designer Poul Henningsen's PH 5 Pendant. Suspended in about half the homes in Denmark, we’d say it’s well on its way to being a true design icon.
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Piccola Table Lamp by Pablo Designs
Venezuelan-born designer Pablo Pardo parlayed his diverse life experiences into a company that takes a holistic approach to lighting design. Pablo Designs' modern fixtures show propensity for adapting new technologies into simple, useful yet unique forms. Pardo's very first design, the Piccola Table Lamp, has a minimal yet charmingly playful makeup that earned it a spot in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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Arco Floor Lamp by FLOS
Flos features the work of renowned designers from all over the world. Going beyond mere function, their high concept Italian lighting fixtures have become icons in the contemporary lighting field. The Arco Floor Lamp is a dramatic, impactful piece that has a home not only in the office of Mad Men’s Roger Sterling, but also in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
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Masters Chair by Kartell
Kartell produces some of the world's finest and most innovative polycarbonate furnishings, effectively redefining the material. In the Kartell Masters Chair, the remarkable overlapping seat back is actually the outlines of three different chairs: the Series 7 by Arne Jacobsen, the Tulip armchair by Eero Saarinen and the Eiffel Chair by Charles Eames.
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Ball Clock by Vitra
Vitra modern accessories and furniture keep the playful innocence of great mid-century modern designers alive, bringing sustainable, helpful modern furniture and accessories to office and home. An authentic re-edition of a 1947 design, the Ball Clock is produced using the original design from George Nelson’s archive.
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Stool 60 by Artek
Where art meets tech—Scandinavian design house Artek heavily reflects the aesthetic of co-founder Alvar Aalto. In 1933, Aalto’s Stool 60 was the first to showcase the L-bend wood leg, a distinctive feature that would later be seen in all Aalto designs. The often-imitated-never-duplicated icon is recognized by its circular seat and three birch legs, and is considered a classic among modern, functional furniture.
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Fairy Collection by Leucos
The talents behind Leucos Lighting are steeped in the rich Venetian tradition of glassblowing, expertly translated into relevant modern design. Reminiscent of a firefly caught in a jar, the Fairy collection is equal parts charming and elegant, with hand-blown glass made from borosilicate crystal and a ribbed inner tube surrounding a halogen light source.
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Louis Ghost Armchair by Kartell
Kartell’s signature polycarbonate style is showcased here, in Philippe Starck’s reinvention of the classic Louis XVI armchair. Steeped in traditional style, the Louis Ghost Armchair is in fact a technical feat, made from a single piece of transparent injection-molded polycarbonate. It has become one of the most famous chairs in modern design since its debut in 2002.
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Panton Chair by Vitra
One of beloved Danish designer Verner Panton’s best-known pieces, the Panton Chair was ahead of its time (and technology) when it was first conceived in 1959 and made from hard foam plastic finished in a glossy lacquer. In 1999 the chair became what it was originally intended to be—a single piece of dyed polypropylene. Both versions are available today in a range of hues that line up with Panton’s passion for experimenting with color.
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Hope Suspension by Luceplan
Luceplan puts clean, quality design at the forefront of every product, earning them vast recognition in the design world—the company has been renowned for their Made in Italy designs for nearly 40 years. The Hope Pendant has received many accolades since its introduction in 2009. Inspired by the Hope Diamond, the fixture uses thin layers of prismatic polycarbonate Fresnel lenses to emulate the faceted stone.
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Ch24 by Carl Hansen
In the 1940s, Hans J. Wegner’s designs catapulted Carl Hansen into design stardom, and have remained so consistently popular that they are still made today. Perhaps his most celebrated piece is the Wishbone Chair, recognized by its characteristic Y-shaped back. Even though its appearance is simple and straightforward, each chair requires more than 100 steps to build,including a hand-woven seat made from more than 120 meters of paper cord.
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Swan Chair by Fritz Hansen
In 1872, a young Danish carpenter named Fritz Hansen founded his own furniture company in Copenhagen. The company innovated furniture production while employing the pure, light lines that have become the hallmark of modern Scandinavian design. Acclaimed Danish designer Arne Jacobsen originally created his Swan Chair in 1958 while designing Copenhagen’s Radisson SAS Royal Hotel. Today the Swan Chair and Sofa are some of the best-known silhouettes in modern furniture design.
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