Bestlite BL6 Wall Light by Robert Dudley BestThe original BestLite is claimed to be the first piece of Bauhaus-style design to have been made in Britain. It became the must-have lamp of the era, with Winston Churchill famously using one on his desk during wartime.
By: Drew Perry The original BestLite is claimed to be the first piece of Bauhaus-style design to have been made in Britain, specifically by Birmingham company Best and Lloyd, from a design by Robert Dudley Best. It became the must-have lamp of the era, with Winston Churchill famously using one on his desk during wartime. Bestlite saw the light of day in Birmingham in 1930. Today, the lamp is regarded as a jewel in the English design tradition. When Robert Dudley Best launched his Bestlite lamp in 1930, its functionality first made it a hit with the industrial sector. The lamp had its real breakthrough in 1932 with the English architectural community after being described in the prominent architectural magazine Architects’ Journal as the first example in the country of a Bauhaus product. The British prime minister had his official residence fitted out with Bestlite. This has made Bestlite one of the most famous lamps in the country. Bestlite is a textbook example of the revolutionary development and innovation within design and architecture which swept through Germany between 1919 and 1933. Known as the Bauhaus period, it was a reaction within design and architecture to the exuberant decoration and trimmings that were a feature of the time. The Bauhaus school focused instead on simplicity and functionality. Bauhaus was highly innovative, and a rebellion against tradition, seeking to break down the barriers between art on the one hand and industry and functionality on the other. Bauhaus is one of the movements which has had the greatest significance for the development of design and architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries. Best was bursting with enthusiasm and ideas for how his groundbreaking designs would take the factory, which his grandfather and father had headed for 70 years, into a new epoch. Best wanted the factory’s collection to symbolise the spirit of the times, appealing to avant garde architects and setting the agenda for lamp design. Bestlite was the vehicle to achieve these aims. After an article in the renowned Architects’ Journal, the English architectural community embraced the lamp, and declared it the first example of a Bauhaus-inspired product in the UK. Winston Churchill also fell for the Bestlite. In addition to sitting on his desk in Whitehall, he also took the lamp with him on his countless trips around the world. The lamp had achieved its breakthrough. Robert Dudley Best continued to develop the collection. Shop BL6 Wall Light, Glossy White by Bestlite at http://www.cosmopolitanoutlet.com/ Free shipping in the US. No tax. Trade and volume discount. End
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