Fourteen years after Harry Bertoia's collection of steel mesh furniture made its debut, there came the Platner chair. Born of a generation embracing a more luxurious, sensual brand of modernism, the Platner chair gave new-school materials an old-school elegance. More

Edison bulbs, aka filament bulbs, are those antique-looking light bulbs that you can look at directly without hurting your eyes. They are therefore often used bare, and they typically add a rustic or vintage accent to a room. Let's find out how they are different from regular, modern incandescent bulbs, and see if we find any surprising facts about the Wizard of Menlo Park himself, Thomas Edison, and his role in the invention of electric light bulbs. (Spoiler alert: we find something, and it's kind of surprising)! More

Wall paneling, called Wainscoting, is often found in today's home. Wainscoting was originally used as a means to clad the floor-to-ceiling interior of stone walls to help insulate the cold walls and minimize water infiltration. Now wainscoting can be used protect the lower third of the wall from nicks and scratches from everyday abuse, but is most often used as a decorative accent. More

There are so many different kinds of task lamps on the market, it's hard to believe that two of the most popular ones are design classics that have been around for decades! Both were instrumental in popularizing an industrial look for domestic spaces. But they were designed about 20 years apart. If you were to guess which came first, which would you choose, the Jieldé or the Anglepoise? More

The Bertoia diamond chair, another offering from the line of wire mesh furniture Harry Bertoia created for Knoll, is the Bertoia side chair's loungey cousin. Its namesake diamond form and wire mesh construction make it one of the most recognizable of midcentury designs. More

For the past month, we've been highlighting the most iconic, the most recognizable pieces of modern furniture design. Most are chairs. Some are lamps — a few are tables. And one is a coatrack. More

The Art Nouveau style (or Jugendstil in German) was an artistic style popular between 1890 and 1910. Inspired by natural forms, the two-dimensional perspective of Japanese block prints, and undulating curves, (or "whiplashes," as they were called after a critic's 1894 description of these lines as "sudden violent curves generated by the crack of a whip"), Art Nouveau spread throughout Europe until it was superseded by the clean lines of modernism and Art Deco in the 1920s. More

The wire chairs he designed for Knoll show Harry Bertoia at the top of his game — his love of sculpture and knowledge of metalworking and ergonomics came together to create a chair that is lovely from every angle (and even quite comfortable, if you're willing to shell out a little extra for seat pads). More

Designer: George Nelson
From: Hartford, Connecticut

The designs of George Nelson, widely considered to be one of the founders of American Modernism, are defined by clean, thoughtful lines, bold accents, and a dash of whimsy. Nelson was a master at creating both classic neutral pieces that are timeless and practical and playful, colorful items that add life and personality to a room. His designs make up a beloved chapter of American design history. More

In the family of Eames designs, there are many standout pieces — their molded plywood chairs, the luxurious Eames lounger, and those ubiquitous shell chairs, to name a few. And then there's the humble little wire base side table, also called the LTR, or 'low table rod'. More