Candlestick By Margit Wittig

Sculptor, painter and designer Margit Wittig has over the years gained a following of interior designers and collectors who are drawn to her modern bespoke lighting, screens and occasional furniture. Among them is noted British interior designer and founder of Firmdale Hotels, Kit Kemp, who once described Wittig’s versatile pieces as “curious, intriguing, classical yet lyrical.” 

Born in Germany, Wittig grew up in creative surroundings. Her mother, an artist, encouraged her to paint watercolors of their garden and they would create festive Christmas ornaments using old wax candles.

Although she initially trained as a physiotherapist, Wittig quit the profession when she moved to the United States in 1997. She later left the U.S. for London, then a mother of two young children, and decided to pursue an art career. 

Wittig studied sculpture and stone carving at the Art Academy in London and studied metalwork at Central Saint Martins. For her sculptures, Wittig drew inspiration from her years of observing the human form in her role as a physiotherapist. She also cites sculptors Constantin Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti as notable influences. 

Wittig found herself incorporating her sculptures — as well as other objects she made in resin and glass — into functional and artistic table lamps. Although it began as a hobby, Wittig’s handcrafted decorative lighting soon caught the attention of London’s interior designers.  

In 2016, Wittig officially established her studio. Over the past several years, she has expanded her lighting collection to include wall sconces and chandeliers. Wittig has also branched out into designing and making other furniture such as sculptural candlesticks, mirrors and her Manhattan Cube, which is technically a side table that can double as a stool. 

Wittig’s table lamps and candlesticks are included in the décor of Firmdale Hotels’ The Whitby in New York and Ham Yard Hotel in London. Her pieces have also been featured in several international publications such as The English Home, House and Garden, ELLE Decoration, the New York Times and Architectural Digest, to name a few.

On 1stDibs, find a range of Margit Wittig lighting, decorative objects and seating.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”

Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.

Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.

It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.

Whether burnished or lacquered, antique, new and vintage brass furniture can elevate a room.

From traditional spaces that use brass as an accent — by way of brass dining chairs or brass pendant lights — to contemporary rooms that embrace bold brass decor, there are many ways to incorporate the golden-hued metal.

“I find mixed metals to be a very updated approach, as opposed to the old days, when it was all shiny brass of dulled-out silver tones,” says interior designer Drew McGukin. “I especially love working with brass and blackened steel for added warmth and tonality. To me, aged brass is complementary across many design styles and can trend contemporary or traditional when pushed either way.”

He proves his point in a San Francisco entryway, where a Lindsey Adelman light fixture hangs above a limited-edition table and stools by Kelly Wearstler — also an enthusiast of juxtapositions — all providing bronze accents. The walls were hand-painted by artist Caroline Lizarraga and the ombré stair runner is by DMc.

West Coast designer Catherine Kwong chose a sleek brass and lacquered-parchment credenza by Scala Luxury to fit this San Francisco apartment. “The design of this sideboard is reminiscent of work by French modernist Jean Prouvé. The brass font imbues the space with warmth and the round ‘portholes’ provide an arresting geometric element.”

Find antique, new and vintage brass tables, case pieces and other furnishings now on 1stDibs.

Vintage, new and antique candlesticks and candleholders do not simply infuse a dining room with a soft, warm glow. They also add dimension, conjure drama and draw attention to a table or mantel. Despite their practical origins, today, decorative candlesticks and their holders elevate spaces by matching interiors or adding color and bold shapes.

For those who enjoy the rich pageantry of the Old Masters, candlesticks in the Baroque and Rococo styles offer intricacy and opulence. The design of Baroque candlesticks — thanks to the influence of the Catholic Church — often boasted complex shapes and featured biblical figures. While bronze candlestick holders have a long history dating back to the ancient world, many 17th-century candlesticks were made of luxurious silver. Armed with a disposable income and a desire to show off their status, the newly emerging middle class acquired candlestick holders as intricate art pieces, beautiful and opulent in their own right.

The Art Deco movement of the early 20th century saw candlesticks designed with simplicity and symmetry in mind. Art Deco candlesticks boast all manner of forms, ranging from sleek curves to bodies of ribbed crystal or bronze that take the shape of animals.

While some 20th-century-era candlesticks are akin to statues in their grandeur, these decorative items became especially fashionable in the mid-20th century for atmospherically illuminating dinner tables. Mid-century modern candlesticks frequently epitomize the streamlined functionality that we’ve come to associate with the era.

Find a comprehensive collection of vintage, new and antique candlesticks on 1stDibs.