Cool Stuff: Criss Cross Lamps

I love a good Bubble Lamp, and am especially digging these new reissues of George Nelson's Criss Cross Lamps. They're just like the midcentury design icon's classic Bubble Lamps -- but, you know, fancier.

The Criss Cross Lamps, which run $359 to $405 apiece, are available from Modernica.

Double Take: Urban Outfitters and George Nelson Wood Slat Benches

Yet more strangely familiar home furnishings from Urban Outfitters ...

This time, Urban takes on a modern classic: George Nelson's 1946 Platform Bench for Herman Miller. Urban's Haruki Slat Bench is $225; the officially licensed Nelson design is $629 at Hive Modern. I've always admired Nelson's simple, versatile design, which can be used as either a coffee table or seating.

In comparison, I'm not crazy about the relative flimsiness or the arched, Asian-contempo styling on the legs of Urban Outfitters' version. But the price is pretty nice.

If you're going to go for a cheap ripoff, though -- and I don't necessarily recoil in horror at the thought, especially for those of us on an Urban-size budget and especially when a large corporate entity is ripping off a decades-old iconic design vs. still-struggling indie designers -- I prefer this one, $229 from Modern Collections. At least it mimics the chunkiness and the mix of wood tones that Nelson used in his original.

Still, since the difference is hundreds rather than thousands of dollars -- and since the original platform bench has stood the test of time for over 60 years -- I think I'd go for the real thing.

What about you?

Double Take: Sunflower and Lotus Clocks

On the left: George Nelson's 1958 Sunflower Clock manufactured by Vitra, $1,015 at HiveModern. On the right: The Lotus Clock made by Dutch design company Karlsson, 85 pounds sterling (about $170) at Contemporary Heaven.

Same design, same size (29.5 inches), different materials (plywood vs. plastic).

It's always time for a good rip-off, I guess. Still, I'd be hard-pressed to shell out more than a thousand bucks for the official, licensed version -- as amazing as it is. What about you?

Design Dilemma: What Sconces Will Work With a George Nelson Pendant Light?

Just to change things up a little, I'm sharing my own design dilemma today.

Here goes: As I mentioned when I showed off our bedroom revamp awhile back, I want to switch out our 1930s art deco light fixture (shown in the photo at top) for something a bit cleaner and more modern. I have my heart set on a George Nelson pendant -- either the Criss Cross, above, or the classic Saucer Lamp, below.

My question: Since our bedroom also has two wall sconces, I need to find a pair of hardwired wall lights that will work with a Nelson pendant. And because the sconces are only a few feet apart over our bed, they need to be relatively small and not stick out too far from the wall.

For this reason (and also because I don't want to be totally matchy-matchy), the rather large George Nelson cigar sconces, above, won't work.

There are mirrored and mercury glass accents around the room, so I'm looking for sconces with a chrome or nickel (vs. bronze or brass) finish to coordinate.

Any suggestions? If so, please post a comment here (with links, if at all possible) and let me know.

Thanks so much!

(P.S. Have a design dilemma of your own? Send it in, along with a photo or two, and I'll put it up here for a communal brainstorming session.)

Objects of Lust: George Nelson Bubble Lamps

Every time I see George Nelson's iconic, 1947 Bubble Lamps, I love them more. They're so incredibly simple in form, and yet so beautifully sculptural.

Just one Bubble Lamp in a gorgeous setting is enough to take my breath away -- so the image above completely knocked the wind out of me. It's from the new issue of Domino, featuring clothing designer Lisa Perry's super-colorful and graphic Long Island beach house, where she hung fourteen of Nelson's classic light fixtures in the dining room.

Hey, if I had 18-foot ceilings and $4,300 to buy and install more than a dozen of these babies over my dining table, I'd do it too.

For now, though, I'll just drool over this picture.

(Photo by Douglas Friedman for Domino magazine.)

Trendspotting: Inspiration or Imitation?

The arrival the other day of the latest CB2 catalog, coupled with my recent post about West Elm's new offerings, got me thinking: At what point does furniture "inspired" by midcentury design classics cross the line to outright mimicry?

Consider these examples:


Top left: CB2's Odyssey Table ($149); top right: IKEA's Docksta Table ($149); bottom: Eero Saarinen's iconic 1956 Tulip Table ($3,150 at Design Within Reach).

Left: CB2's Tornado Table ($119); right: Warren Platner's 1966 Side Table ($662 at Highbrow Furniture).


Left: West Elm's Patterned Veneer Coffee Table ($349); right: Milo Baughman's Burl and Chrome Coffee Table ($3,400 at 1stdibs).


Top left: CB2's Hippie Arm Chair ($229); top right: West Elm's Round Back Chair ($199); bottom: Hans Wegner's 1949 Wishbone Chair ($499 at House of Copenhagen).

Left: CB2's Double Dip Lamp ($199); right: Achille Castiglioni's circa-1962 Arco Lamp ($2,448 at DWR).

Left: West Elm's Sphere Pendant ($99); right: George Nelson's 1947 Ball Lamp ($299 at Velocity Art and Design).

Left: West Elm's Molded Desk Chair ($149); right: Charles and Ray Eames' 1948 Molded Plastic Armchair ($279 at Highbrow Furniture).

Left: West Elm's Scoop Back Chair ($79); right: Arne Jacobsen's 1955 Series 7 Chair ($394 at Retro Modern).

Left: West Elm's Wire Mesh Occasional Chair ($229); right: Harry Bertoia's 1952 Side Chair ($483 at Hive Modern).

Left: West Elm's Modern Storage Console ($599); right: Paul McCobb's 1950 Planner Group Credenza ($1,000 on eBay).

Clearly, these mass-produced knockoffs are more than "inspired" by the originals. Is that theft, or flattery? Would you rather spend thousands of dollars for a vintage, signed original or a licensed repro, or a fraction of that for a decent (if somewhat dishonest) imitation?

Personally, I'm more in the gimme-the-knockoff camp than the nothing-but-the-real-stuff crowd. If I stumbled on a mint-condition Saarinen table at a garage sale for $100, I'd be all over it. But, barring that, I don't have $3,150 for a simple white table (and I'd think twice about dropping that kind of cash even if I did) -- so I own the $149 IKEA Docksta. I feel a tiny bit guilty about it, but I'm not losing sleep at night.

How about you?

Cool Stuff: New at West Elm

God, I love West Elm. Trendy but subtle, modern but warm, and -- most important for anyone on a budget -- affordable. (Granted, there have been some quibbles about the quality of West Elm's furniture -- the beds, in particular. But we have a few pieces and are satisfied with the quality, especially given the price.)

Anyway, I stopped by my local outpost last week and saw scads of new stuff I really liked. And I'm especially digging a break from West Elm's standard, masculine "dark espresso" finish with the introduction of lots of fresh and feminine lacquered white. A quick tour of some of the retailer's noteworthy new (and new-ish) offerings:


How fun is the shape of the Octagonal Lamp (top left, $99)? And the minimal-yet-earthy Seeded Glass Pendant (top right, $89) would look striking in a kitchen or dining alcove. The Sphere Pendant (bottom left, $99) is a pretty good George Nelson Bubble Lamp imitation at a fraction of the cost, while the Moroccan-style Lanterns (bottom right, $39 to $69) will bring some exotic sparkle to your summertime patio or deck.


The Round-Back Chairs (top, $199 each) remind me a bit of Hans Wegner's classic Wishbone Chairs, and I love the new white color. The borrow-liberally-from-the-masters theme continues with the Molded Desk Chair (bottom left, $149), reminscent of Charles and Ray Eames' iconic molded fiberglass Shell Chairs, and the Bertoia-like Wire Mesh Chair (bottom right, $229).


I love the fresh "wasabi" color and lattice-like pattern of the Tropical Printed Quilt (top left, $39), and the flame-pattern Ikat Throw (top right, $49) is very of-the-moment. A couple of Sea Life Pillows (bottom, $29 each) tossed on a couch or on a set of chairs brings a hint of the natural world indoors.


Flank a bed or couch with a pair of Concave Drum Tables (left, $129 each, and evocative of the Asian ceramic garden stools that are all the rage right now), or place them at the foot of a bed instead of a bench or in front of the sofa for a coffee table alternative. The Cadman Spine Bookcase (middle, $149) is a close copy of DWR's Sapien Bookcase without the big pricetag, while the Stacked Modular Bookcase (right, $269 to $399) packs a lot of storage and dispay space into an intriguing form.


The Metal Overlapping Squares (left, $99 for 16) can be hung as wall art, or used to subtly divide a large space. And the Stretched Metal Candleholders (right, $29 to $69) will bring drama and verticality to any space in which you place them.


The Curved Leg Side Table (left, $159) and Curved Leg Coffee Table (right, $299) in polished white are fresh and simple but have a soft, feminine roundness to them.


The Faux Shagreen Side Table (left, $99) has a bit of an Asian vibe, and is an interesting departure for West Elm. I'm loving clean white parsons tables right now, and the cute Parsons Cube Side Tables (middle, $149) are hard to resist (I've even seen a set of three stacked into a cool parsons tower). Another stylistic departure is the high-gloss black Mirror-Top Baroque Table (right, $179). I'm kind of over the whole "Modern Baroque" thing, but this is subtle enough to add just a hint of over-the-top glam without being cliched.

One note: With such reasonable prices, it's tempting to buy a set of furniture, or to fill your basket with coordinating accessories. But don't get carried away (at West Elm, or anywhere else for that matter) or your home will wind up looking like a catalog. As with most things, the magic is in the mix.