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Design Icons & Design Classics
There are designer pieces that you immediately recognize, even without knowing the designer's name. They stand in museums and living rooms, on cover pages and sideboards, and even after decades they seem so natural, as if they have always existed. That is exactly what makes a design classic: not its age, but its attitude. A clear form, high-quality material, and an idea that shows attitude.
In this curated selection, we bring together design icons and design classics under one roof. Iconic lights and timeless lamps, renowned designers, and the brands that still produce their designs today, along with selected home accessories that follow the same design principles.
An icon doesn't have to be old. Some are established classics that have defined spaces for generations. Others are just emerging and will be the design classics of tomorrow. What unites them is substance: design that remains because it offers more than just aesthetic appeal.
A journey through iconic lights
Some lights are more than sources of illumination. They are designs that have influenced rooms, eras, and the history of design, from the utilitarian work light to the sculptural pendant light. This journey tells the story of iconic light design in four chapters and shows how clever ideas became timeless design classics.
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Bauhaus · 1920s and 1930s
At the Bauhaus, modern lighting begins: ornamentation gives way to clarity, decoration to function - and from this austerity emerges its own beauty. The Kaiser Idell by Christian Dell embodies this thinking perfectly: a work lamp reduced to the essentials. Fritz Hansen continues to produce it to this day.
Mid-Century · 1950s and 1960s
After the war, the light becomes warmer and more human. Poul Henningsen turns glare-free lighting into a science and completed two icons for Louis Poulsen in 1958: the PH 5 and the sculptural PH Artichoke. In 1957, Arne Jacobsen designed the AJ for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. And in Japan from 1951, Isamu Noguchi's Akari light sculptures made of Washi paper and bamboo emerged.
Space Age · late 1960s and 1970s
Now color and form dare to take the stage. Verner Panton breaks with restraint: in 1968 the playful Flowerpot, in 1971 the organically curved Panthella, where the shade and base together reflect the light. Designs of an optimistic living culture that makes light itself a statement.
Modern · 1980s to today
In 1987, Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina rethink the jointed lamp - the Tolomeo for Artemide, which is now part of contemporary design. Even today, designs are created that will be considered essential in the future. Because design history is not only remembered, it is continually written afresh.
Selected Lighting Icons & Design Classics
A small selection from a great history. The following lamps are among the most sought-after and most appreciated design classics, each telling in its own way why good design never goes out of style.
 "Kaiser Idell Ikone")
 "Artichoke Ikone")
 "IC Ikone")
 "Panthella Ikone")
 "Tolomeo Ikone")
 "PH5 Ikone")
 "Gräshopper Ikoe")
 "2097 Ikone")
 "Bestlite Ikone")
 "Multi Lite Ikone")
 "Flowerpot Ikone")
 "AJ Ikone")
 "Angelpoesie Ikone")
 "Glo Ball Ikone")
 "Verpan Ikone")
 "Akari Ikone")
Design icons among home accessories
Good design doesn't stop at lighting fixtures. The same consistency of form, material, and idea is reflected in the small items that complete a room: in the wall clock that becomes the silent focal point, in the vase on the sideboard, in the object that is carefully placed.
Even among home accessories, there are classics that are recognizable at first glance. They don't impose, they set the accent that holds an interior together. And they complement iconic lighting fixtures to create a cohesive whole, where each piece has its place.
The designers behind the icons
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 "poul-henningsen")
Iconic design brands
 "Tradition")
 "anglepoise")
 "artemide")
 "Flos")
 "fritz-hansen")
 "gubi")
 "hay")
 "louis-poulsen")
 "verpan")
 "vitra")