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Pretend that you are shopping for lighting for your home and a particular piece—say a Noguchi Akari lamp—catches your eye. You had never heard the name before, or seen anything similar, but suddenly, the tiny rice paper lamp is everywhere. It’s in your friend’s house, in a magazine you read, it’s even propped on the shelves of a hotel you visit. It’s no coincidence—this is called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or frequency illusion. It’s not necessarily that the Noguchi lamp is suddenly everywhere, you are just noticing it more now that your curiosity has been piqued.
As a décor editor, this happens to me all the time. Once I pay attention to a particular object, a new designer, or a trending color—I see it in every subsequent home I lay eyes on. But the curious thing is: it’s always been there, I just had never paid attention to it before. Lately, it’s Entler’s space age-looking tentacle lighting I’ve been fixated on. Now, I naturally need to have my own piece. But it got me thinking—are there other objects I’ve been noticing in every New York apartment lately? After a bit of research, I found a few more. Have you been seeing them too?
Entler Lighting
The first time I saw an Entler lamp, it was in interior designer Mara Silber’s Upper East Side office. It stuck in my mind for its uniqueness. Now, this Los Angeles-based lighting designer’s pieces are everywhere. With table lamps starting around $500, it’s worth the investment.
Entler Pink Ceramic Three-Globe Chandelier, 1stdibs, $1,850
Cold Picnic’s Boob Pillows
2018 was the year of the woman and not just in Washington. As “The Future Is Female” t-shirts proliferated all over New York City, a whimsical homeware was taking over New Yorkers’ apartments: Cold Picnic’s boob pillow.
Boob Pillow, Cold Picnic, $60
ASH NYC’s Arc Stool
ASH NYC can do no wrong. The design studio behind Detroit’s new Siren Hotel is responsible for the staging of Manhattan’s coolest rental and condo buildings, so it’s no surprise that many people end up purchasing items from their furniture collection. The most popular is undoubtedly their Arc stool, which we spotted in designer Tali Roth’s apartment and Sarah Jessica Parker’s old townhouse.
Arc Stool, ASH NYC, $1,050
Isamu Noguchi Lamps
Isamu Noguchi, the Japanese American architect, is having a design moment. His collection of oversized rice paper pendants have been around since the 1950s, but have recently been thrown in the spotlight after being featured in a few prominent hotels—think the Scribner’s Catskill Lodge lobby—and many homes. New York apartments being spatially challenged, many dwellers opt for the smaller Akari table lamp instead.
Isamu Noguchi 1N Akari Lamp, 1stdibs, $1,900
Faye Toogood’s Roly Poly Chairs
A few months ago, someone from 1stDibs told me that London-based Faye Toogood was going to be the hottest furniture designer to invest in. This has proven true in recent months with her Roly Poly chair finding a place in many New Yorkers’ homes including Athena Calderone’s Hamptons beach house.
Roly Poly Small Polyethylene Armchair, 1stdibs, $570
De La Espada’s Laurel Side Table
From one day to the next, this little totem-like table was everywhere. In ASH NYC’s model apartments, Jessica Helgerson’s clients’ homes, and just about every room I looked at. Here, it’s sitting in a Tribeca loft designed by Homepolish’s Jae Joo. This stylish little table is the design darling of-the-moment and for good reason—it eye-catchingly timeless.
Laurel Side Table, The Future Perfect, $1,185
Pampas Grass
A few years ago, we had fiddle leaf fig trees. Then, came succulents in all shapes and sizes. But lately, something a little different has been popping up in apartments everywhere: pampas grass, a hay-hued flowering plant native to southern South America that look like large fluffy feathers. The best part: it’s extremely low-maintenance.