Vienna, the capital of old Europe. The city where culture, music, cafes and chocolate cakes with apricot jam are so important that they have even caused lawsuits, separated family and broken friendships.
It may sound cliché, yes. But Vienna is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and walking through its streets, sitting in one of its cafes or attending one of its chamber music concerts is a must when visiting the city.
What many miss when they visit Vienna is the love that the Viennese have for caring for and respecting the city's history. And I am not referring again to its museums, but to the splendid past of Viennese design that is still present in the daily life of the city.
The Austrians in general and the Viennese in particular have a very pragmatic way of life. That is, if an object still fulfills its function, it will continue to be used until it breaks or stops working. And this, my friends, is a dream for any lover of vintage objects.
So when a Spaniard like me, born in the 80s in a country that has just emerged from a dictatorship at a time when everything that was more than 10 years old was thrown away for pure consumerism, arrives in a city like this, is attacked by a Stendhal syndrome that not even Stendhal himself suffered when visiting Florence.
And this is what happened to me when I saw these two beauties.
I think the first time was in a Cafe. They were hanging on the wall, there would be about 5, on each side of the room. Lolo the Cat told me that they were an Austrian design, but he could not remember the name of the designer. Anyway, you could say without knowing anything about their origin that they were from the middle of the century.
I began later to see them in some antique stores, with prohibitive prices. Ceiling, wall, table lamps, mirrors. Every time my crush was more serious.
And when we started our adventure in Vintage with Vintage and Other Things, I always had the illusion of rescuing one.
Over time I learned his name and his story. And now that we have finally managed to rescue a couple of "snowflake" lamps for our store, here is my contribution to their story.
The lamp is known as "Snowflake" or "Dandelion" because of its shape. Was designed by Emil Stejnar in the 1950s and produced by Rupert Nikoll in Vienna until the late 60s.
Designer Emil Stejnar is known for his Space Age era lighting designs. Stejnar was born in Vienna in 1939 and trained as a silver and goldsmith. From a very young age he showed interest in astrology and the occult. At the age of 18 he moved to Sweden to pursue his interest. In 1968 the married Stejnar moved back to Vienna and ran a jewelry shop.
In the 1950s and early 60s, Stejnar designed several pendant and ceiling lamps as well as wall lights for the Viennese lighting manufacturer Rupert Nikoll. Stejnar's ceiling lamps are characterized by star shapes and delicate glass lacquer. One of the most well-known (and replicated) examples is the Sputnik lamp, which is often confusingly referred to as a dandelion or a snowball. Due to conflicting information from various sources, it cannot be clarified whether the lamps differed in their design from the Sputnik, or whether they were simply pet names. Nonetheless, Sputnik remains one of the most celebrated (and copied) of the 20th century. It is easily recognized by its glowing glass flowers that cast vivid shadows on the walls.
The lamp inspired a whole generation of designers of the Space Age era and led to futuristic designs in turn. The gilded brass rods and detailed glass processing simultaneously remind us of Steinar's dedication to the magic of the cosmos and the lighting of the Space Age era.
Do you want it? You can find it in our shop Here!
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