We brought you the curvy and long-lasting designs of industrial designer Eva Zeisel yesterday. And though she was known for her small-scale home accessories, like table top ceramic pieces, she did dabble with furniture. We’ve chosen a favorite piece of furniture that is quite new, and mixed it with a pair of Swank Lighting lamps that are a bit older, with surprising effects.
The Eva Zeisel Coffee Table was designed in 1993 and originally attended to soften up the plain old boring look of the office, but has since found a home in living rooms and all sorts of other spaces. The opposing wood frame of the base is at once organic and feminine, featuring curves yet pointed edges. The dark or honey-colored wood is strong and bold, and really grabs the eye’s attention. The graphic shape of the base also makes for striking contrasts between softer edged furniture pieces, like chairs or sofas.
We’re in love with these Classic Bedside Murano Lamps from the 1940's, and it’s due to the unique shape and color. According to Swank Lighting, such lamps were commonly used on bedside tables or vanity tables in the 1940s. We think the shape is just wonderful, a sort of curvy square, but according to Swank this color is what so rare—they call it Paul Newman blue! The glass is very thick, very heavy and ridged with a great texture that complements the icy blueness. There are also silver flakes sprinkled throughout the glass to give it even more glam. The lamps are complemented perfectly by the Lucite bases.
We toyed with the idea of going with a really simple pair of lamps for this Perfect Pair—after all, much of Zeisel’s body of work featured simple, curved ceramic pieces, but we also feel like much of her work is flexible. Meaning, it can work with a lot of different styles. The coffee table has a lot of femininity to it, and so do the lamps. The icy blue of the lamps goes well with the honey or dark colored wood of the table, and the shiny lamps fit well next to the glass table top. Though you probably wouldn’t put a pair of lamps on top of a coffee table, we sure think these three pieces would look smashing together in the same room.