George Nelson’s iconic Bubble lamps get colorized

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Remember the outcry in the 1980s when Ted Turner first decided to colorize classic black-and-white films?

‘Criminal mutilation,’ director Woody Allen called it.

I feel the same way about the new colored versions of George Nelson’s iconic Bubble lamps.Available exclusively from Room & Board, the colored pendants come in three styles: large Criss-Cross Saucer pendant ($435), Propeller pendant ($365) and medium Criss-Cross Cigar pendant ($359). Normally sold in white only, the lamps now come in ‘mist,’ a muted blue-green, and a yellowish ‘ivory’ hue that may give the lamp a vintage look to some. (I think: too much cigarette smoke.)

The colors give the lamps a darkness that detracts from the original soft and airy feel. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the midcentury classic as it was originally designed in 1947: in white. What do you think?

-- Lisa Boone