Ever since I laid eyes on Horse Lamp, I have loved Moooi. The goal of this unique company based in The Netherlands is to create “the most successful innovative design-collection ever.” In the past, hunting for Moooi has been a little tricky; their products turn up here and there but not everywhere. Glimpses of their work appear like fabulous comets streaming into furniture fairs.

Brave New World Lamp. Designed by Freshwest for Moooi.

Starting today however, those in the United States can be assured of Moooi’s whereabouts as the B&B Italia showroom in Soho (B&B Italia own’s a stake in the Dutch company) now boasts a large part of the Moooi collection, including this coveted Horse Lamp. One of Moooi’s newest pieces, Brave New World Lamp, is sure to attain paramount status shortly. Direct from Milan to New York, Brave New World Lamp received rave reviews at Salone: The New York Times included it as one of the highlights of the show. This cleverly designed lamp, which “started as a concept piece of random thought-initiated construction,” takes its cue from Eastern bamboo scaffolding—a vertiginous affair that would give anyone an instant case of basophobia (fear of falling). Built piece by piece without a plan, Brave New World Lamp employs small pieces of wood “carefully notched and pegged together.” Designed by Freshwest, this clever lamp incorporates cast iron balancing weights. The resulting tactile pleasure of Brave New World is just as enjoyable as its look, which stresses the transparency of construction; Moooi compared the lamp’s formation to “a sculpture’s relationship to its material.”

Horse Lamp. Designed by Front for Moooi.

The size of Brave New World Lamp, a modest 70 cm W x 180 cm H, makes it a more versatile piece than, say, my beloved Horse Lamp (Moooi warns, “Small steps may be required to reach higher parts of the horse”). Thus, Brave New World may overtake Horse. Both lamps embody Moooi, a company that struggles with contradiction (as a Libra, I love this). They stress “the need to feel special” and “the need to be connected”; they design “unique objects” and “functional products for everyday use.” Brave New World Lamp may seem practical when compared to Horse Lamp, but it is still fanciful. Like the bamboo scaffolds of the East, Brave New World Lamp has a critical function that can be shadowed by its mesmerizing aesthetic.