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Categories
Lighting Fixtures & Chandeliers
Services & Specialties
Handmade ceramic lamps
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RECOMMENDATION
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4.5]
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WORK QUALITY
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COST EVALUATION
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VALUE ANALYSIS
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ADD YOUR REVIEW
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FR Review:
If you have ever noticed a beautiful ceramic lamp rounding out a fine interior, chances are it was a Christopher Spitzmiller piece – from Kips Bay to the Oval Office to the pages of Architectural Digest, his work is the ubiquitous gold standard. Beloved by designers for their simple elegance, Spitzmiller's lamps perform the neat trick of simultaneously blending into a design and standing out when they are noticed; often they are "just the right final touch" for a room. The shapes, loosely inspired by Asian ceramic forms, feel classic. The glazes are rich and vibrant, with colors that reflect Spitzmiller's ability to execute elemental gestures perfectly - "his blue is the best blue, his green is the best green" and so on. The craftsmanship too is impressive: after being passed from artisan to artisan, each lamp is finished off by an expert electrician and capped at the bottom with a gilded base. These beautiful objects are beautifully made.
After studying ceramics at RISD and a few interesting excursions (including an internship at the White House under Clinton), Spitzmiller's career took off in 1996, when, through a summer residency with Mecox Gardens, he began doing commissions for Albert Hadley and Richard Keith Langham. Over the course of the past two decades, his studio has grown exponentially, now comprising a staff of 16 that produces roughly 35 one-of-a-kind pieces a week. The firm has a comprehensive line of pre-existing models, comprising over seventy-five distinct shapes in a rainbow’s worth of colors. Spitzmiller and his team also shine in creative collaboration with interior designers, creating unique designs for unique projects. Despite the growth and success of his business, Spitzmiller himself is still very hands-on - on a recent studio visit, we encountered him covered in clay, putting the finishing touches on a new model.
The only caveat to all of this is price - perhaps unsurprisingly, these pieces are not for those trying to save money on their lighting budget. However, for those who simply want the best, Spitzmiller is the clear choice. As one noted designer put it to us, "there's Christopher, and then there's everyone else."
Representative Client Comments:
"I'm obsessed with his lamps." "His work looks good in so many different types of rooms." "There's not a project I do that doesn't have a pair of his lamps." "He's expanding his collection to include flatware now, I'm excited about that." "If I don't use an antique, I use a Christopher Spitzmiller."
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