Barcelona Lounge Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe If the test of a timeless style icon is whether it looks incongruous in a contemporary setting, then the Barcelona chair has to be the pre-eminent design classic of the past century. Although conceived in 1929 by German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), Barcelona looks every bit at home in contemporary houses today. Mies van der Rohe was director of the Bauhaus School of Design and was possibly the most influential architect of the mid-20th century. Famous for his dictum 'less is more', he is credited with creating today's image of the modern city via his severe designs for the Seagram Building in New York and Farnsworth House in Illinois. The Barcelona chair was created for the then king and queen of Spain who were to visit the German Pavilion of the Barcelona International Exhibition (hence the name). Built around a simple curved steel 'X' frame, the rectangular back and seat are upholstered with hand-stitched individual leather buttoned squares. 'I love the clean lines,' says Barcelona owner Christina Chew of LCL Architects. 'It's so elegant and very ample in size, but at the same time very thin so it actually makes a small space look bigger. 'However, it's only comfortable for tall people as the seat is very deep. And now that I have a child, I probably wouldn't go for it again as the frame has sharp edges which a toddler could gash his eye on.' Produced by Knoll Associates ( www.knoll.com ) in the United States, the Barcelona chair - part of a range that includes a matching daybed and ottoman - is available in black, brown, burgundy or blue through Pacific Decor ($15,950; tel: 2520 2122). 3107 Chair by Arne Jacobsen Thanks to that famous image of Christine Keeler posed provocatively astride one in 1963, Jacobsen's 3107 chair has been osmotically embedded into design consciousness. The ubiquitous design, spied in trendy restaurants and loft-style apartments the world over, was created in 1955 as part of the Series 7 collection that introduced the revolutionary technique of moulded plywood into our homes. Danish-born Jacobsen (1902-1971) was renowned for his functionalist approach to furniture, inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. The back and seat are made from a single curved shell comprising nine strips of laminated plywood veneer interspersed with two layers of cotton. 'They're great with children,' says Anne Wright, director of a marketing consultancy. 'You can wipe them down and they stack up so are really space-saving. They're not as plush as, say, upholstered chairs, but they're far comfier than they look. And as we live in quite a plain, minimal space, the different colours really jazz things up.' 3107 is made by Fritz Hansen in Denmark ( www.fritzhansen.com ) and is available in an array of coloured lacquer and wood veneer finishes, as well as less common leather and fabric upholstery. It costs between $2,300 (lacquer) and $7,000 (leather) through Salotto (tel: 2898 9777). E1027 Adjustable Table by Eileen Gray Although Irish-born architect Eileen Gray (1878-1976) worked at one stage with Le Corbusier, she was a fairly low-profile designer. Her name has since been immortalised primarily for this table as well as her bulbous Bibendum chair (which inspired the name of and is used throughout Terence Conran's trendy London restaurant). In 1927, she designed a house for herself in Roquebrune, near St Tropez, named E1207, a modernist affair with a flat roof, whitewashed walls and strip windows. In need of some equally contemporary pieces to furnish it with, she designed the table alongside a sofa and bed. Made in glass with a chrome-plated steel frame, the table cantilevers sideways from the stem and adjusts up and down like a trombone. 'It's a very special design,' says photographer Almond Chu who uses one as a bedside table. 'Very 20s but at the same time so contemporary. I love that it's functional, that you can change the height according to your needs.' ClassiCon, the German-based manufacturer, says there is as yet no official distributor in Hong Kong but you can buy direct from the company (DM925 or HK$3,306 plus shipping; tel: 498 9748 1330; www.classicon.com ). However, William Artists (tel: 2870 2277) claims to have originals, currently reduced from $2,910 to $1,601. To check for the real McCoy, look for the ClassiCon logo and code stamped into the frame. Coffee Table by Isamu Noguchi 'Everything is sculpture,' said American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), the son of a Japanese poet and Scottish-American writer. 'Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.' Noguchi's design philosophy was evidently manifested in his 1944 coffee table. Seemingly complex, but actually incredibly simple, Noguchi's table comprises glass atop biomorphic solid walnut legs which interlock to form a tripod base. Strongly influenced by surrealism, the table was designed to illustrate an article written by George Nelson titled 'How to make a table'. 'My husband and I gave it to each other on our first wedding anniversary,' says stylist Bernice Miles Lucchese. 'I love the organic shape and the way you can see the sculptural base through the glass top. Even though it was designed in the 40s, it works very well in a modern setting - we use it with Marc Newson's Embryo chair and Philippe Starck's Cafe Costes armchairs.' Available with a natural walnut or ebony stained base, the table is manufactured by Herman Miller ( www.hermanmiller.com ) in the US and can be ordered from the local Herman Miller showroom on 2865 0377 ($8,190 including shipping, allow eight weeks for delivery). Anglepoise Lamp by George Carwardine In the same way that Hoover became a generic term for vacuum cleaners, so Anglepoise is used to describe the many copies the lamp has spawned. This comes much to the distress of the company, which owns the patent to the name and dislikes it when retailers adopt it as an adjective. The Anglepoise was designed in 1933 by George Carwardine (1887-1948), a British designer of car suspension components who had the idea of making a fully adjustable lamp, based on the human arm. The secret to its success lies in three springs at the square-stepped base which hold the lamp steady no matter what position it's manipulated into. 'I move it up and down all the time,' says photographer Almond Chu, who uses an original Anglepoise as a bedside lamp. 'I have to admit it was expensive, but I really liked the classic design. 'The only drawback is that the metal heats up and it gets too hot to click the button on the shade, so I added a switch along the wire.' To manufacture his design, Carwardine formed a partnership with Herbert Terry & Sons, a spring manufacturer that still makes the lamps today. The original design is no longer in production but Anglepoise ( www.anglepoise.co.uk ) offers a range of similar styles, the nearest to the original being the Apex 90 available in black, titanium (silver), white, burgundy and blue (currently reduced from #54.80 to #39.95 or HK$603 to HK$439 plus shipping at www.desklighting.co.uk ; 44 789 067 9075). Vintage home accessories retailer Flea + Cents in Wan Chai occasionally has the original Anglepoise in stock for between $2,000 and $3,000 (tel: 2528 0808). Toaster by Dualit Used for decades in the kitchens of restaurants and professional institutions, it is only in recent years that the Dualit has been adopted by the tasteocrats as the only toaster worth having. Despite being eye-wateringly expensive and so bulky they take up half the counter, the 1950s-style appliance graces stainless-steel kitchens the world over. Recently the toaster was used in an Audi commercial drawing an analogy between it and its Approved Used Cars under the strapline, 'Great design is great forever'. The original Dualit, conceived in 1946 by British engineer Max Gort-Barten, was designed for heavy duty use and could produce hundreds of slices an hour. The sturdy design has changed little over the decades and today's versions retain the stay-warm mechanical ejector, while incorporating the heat-proof material used in the space shuttle. Each toaster is still assembled by hand and the assembler's individual mark can be found on the base plate. 'I received a Dualit as a wedding present,' says fashion designer Carrie Chan, 'but like a lot of stuff on a wedding list, I don't know whether we would have stretched to buy one otherwise. That said, I adore using it and there's something lovely and tactile about turning the old-fashioned dial and hearing it click away. Much nicer than pushing down on those plastic handles that spring back up.' Available in a range of colours as well as styles that toast buns or make toasted sandwiches (see www.dualit.com for the complete range), Dualit toasters cost between $1,998 and $3,259 at Panhandler in Central (tel: 2523 1672).