'Architraaf' or 'C-1609.11' Wall Lamp by Pierre Vandel for Raak Amsterdam

A Pierre Vandel coffee table is a striking statement piece. High-contrast and unmistakably stylish, Vandel’s tables are sophisticated and opulent, with the visual power that Hollywood Regency and mid-century modern furnishings bring to a modern space.

Vandel was born in 1939 in Roubaix, France. He graduated around 1957 with a focus on industrial assembly and design and became part of the research teams at Ponts et Chaussées and Arts et Métiers, two respected engineering and research schools in Paris. Before entering the world of furniture, Vandel worked on projects that satisfied his curiosity and drive for experimentation, including a vertical aquarium and hi-fi systems.

Vandel’s breakthrough in furniture came a few years later. In 1969, the Marais International company bought 5,000 units of Vandel’s side tables and offered a meeting with French fashion and furniture designer Pierre Cardin. Becoming a friend and advisor, Cardin offered his support and connected Vandel to an affluent market that swooned over his glamorous designs.

Vandel’s glass coffee tables — often accented with brass frames or lacquered wood — remain among his most in-demand work. His Vertèbre chair from 1972 is one of his more elusive designs. With only 800 ever produced, half with armrests and half without, this lounge chair is coveted not only for its rarity but also for its unique spine-like frame.

Vandel’s furniture continues to be recognized for its imaginative forms and is prized by collectors as a piece of design history.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Pierre Vandel tables, seating, storage pieces and more.

In Dutch, “raak” means “to hit” or “to hit the nail on the head.” Lighting company RAAK certainly accomplished that with its unique mid-century modern designs of futuristic, Space Age metal lamps, pendants and other lighting creations. 

RAAK was founded in 1954 by Carel O. Lockhorn (1923–2004), a former employee of the Philips Lighting company in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Under the tagline “Illuminated Architecture,” RAAK focused on producing elegant, sophisticated and modern lighting that would blend seamlessly with high-concept interiors. 

During the 1960s, one of RAAK’s most well-known designs came from its in-house designer, Frank Ligtelijn, who created the Globe 2000 series of glass and chrome floor lamps, pendants and wall lights. Another key collaboration was with Dutch artist and glassmaker Willem van Oyen, who produced the iconic Chartres wall lights in 1964. Van Oyen’s Brutalist design evoked melted paintings and was inspired by the stained glass windows in the Chartres Cathedral in France.

In the 1970s, RAAK worked with several influential international artists, such as Italian designers Sergio Asti, Giotto Stoppino and Cesare Casati and Emanuele Ponzio, and Finnish designers Maija Liisa Komulainen (best known for her metallic, cylindrical Fuga lamp) and Tapio Wirkkala, creator of the handblown crystal Suomi pendant lamps.

Through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, RAAK enjoyed enormous success throughout Europe and worldwide for its modern lamps and decorative lighting. In 1974, Lockhorn sold RAAK to the furniture company ITT but remained its director until 1977. In 1980, RAAK merged with BIS Lighting and was renamed BISRAAK. Then, in 1999, the company entered into another merger, this time with Artilite B.V. and Indoor B.V., and became the Center for Light Architecture. It declared bankruptcy in 2011.

RAAK lighting continues to be highly coveted today among interior designers and avid vintage furniture collectors.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage RAAK lighting, decorative objects and more.