Karl Springer was a man with the unique knack of deftly combining exotic materials like Lucite, goat skin and parchment with classical shapes of chairs, tables and other home furnishings. We’re not only using one of his pieces in today’s Perfect Pair, we’re hoping to channel his talent when we combine a piece of his with a pair of Swank Lighting lamps!
It’s pretty fitting that we’d cover Karl Springer’s work on Swank Lighting’s blog; we’re not sure any other designer has epitomized the very definition of “swank” as much as Springer before.
This Telephone Table in White Python and Shagreen by Karl Springer is a perfect example. Taking a simply-shaped furniture piece that’s function is kind of boring (a telephone table) he livens it up with two extraordinary materials: White Python snake skin and shagreen (which is shark’s skin!). Now, this piece is obviously not for a lover of animals, but if you can enjoy leather we think you can enjoy just how glamorous these materials make this table. The python comes in a stunningly bright white, and the shagreen’s neutral color is the perfect balance. The shape is simple, but classic, and you could use this piece for a number of functions in the home.
Even though the table is covered in exotic and fabulous materials, it’s still a pretty simple table with simple colors, at the heart of it. So, we took the liberty of matching it up with a fabulous pair of lamps that have a little bit more going on. These
Vintage Murano Lamps with Blue Applied Glass Drips are from Italy in the 1950s, so have a great vintage-feel to them. The lamps themselves are in a clear crystal, but have blue glass drips applied in a squiggle form. Not only giving them a great texture, the squiggles, which appear to come in navy, marine, sky and all kinds of shades of blue due to the curves of the glass, give the lamps an amazing sense of depth and sophistication. We love how lean and thin the shape of the lamps are. Placed on top of complementary Lucite bases—Springer would be proud.
Together you can see that the combination of the Telephone Table in White Python and Shagreen and Vintage Murano Lamps with Blue Applied Glass Drips don’t make for a very jarring visual composition—there are no terribly bold colors to stand out and shock the eye. But, this is probably one of the most detailed and complicated combination we’ve ever seen on the blog before, simply due to all the wonderful textures and materials present. Not only do they all go great together, they make each other seem even more fabulous!
It’s pretty fitting that we’d cover Karl Springer’s work on Swank Lighting’s blog; we’re not sure any other designer has epitomized the very definition of “swank” as much as Springer before. This Telephone Table in White Python and Shagreen by Karl Springer is a perfect example. Taking a simply-shaped furniture piece that’s function is kind of boring (a telephone table) he livens it up with two extraordinary materials: White Python snake skin and shagreen (which is shark’s skin!). Now, this piece is obviously not for a lover of animals, but if you can enjoy leather we think you can enjoy just how glamorous these materials make this table. The python comes in a stunningly bright white, and the shagreen’s neutral color is the perfect balance. The shape is simple, but classic, and you could use this piece for a number of functions in the home.
Even though the table is covered in exotic and fabulous materials, it’s still a pretty simple table with simple colors, at the heart of it. So, we took the liberty of matching it up with a fabulous pair of lamps that have a little bit more going on. These Vintage Murano Lamps with Blue Applied Glass Drips are from Italy in the 1950s, so have a great vintage-feel to them. The lamps themselves are in a clear crystal, but have blue glass drips applied in a squiggle form. Not only giving them a great texture, the squiggles, which appear to come in navy, marine, sky and all kinds of shades of blue due to the curves of the glass, give the lamps an amazing sense of depth and sophistication. We love how lean and thin the shape of the lamps are. Placed on top of complementary Lucite bases—Springer would be proud.
Together you can see that the combination of the Telephone Table in White Python and Shagreen and Vintage Murano Lamps with Blue Applied Glass Drips don’t make for a very jarring visual composition—there are no terribly bold colors to stand out and shock the eye. But, this is probably one of the most detailed and complicated combination we’ve ever seen on the blog before, simply due to all the wonderful textures and materials present. Not only do they all go great together, they make each other seem even more fabulous! 
