Public treasures

For collectors of 20th-century design, lighting originally created for public buildings holds a special kind of appeal. Our founder Andrew Duncanson is always specially intrigued when getting the opportunity to acquire lighting pieces with an interesting provenance as for public buildings. These pieces were never mass-produced or widely distributed. Instead, they were custom-designed for specific spaces—grand hotels, city ballrooms, churches, banks—and made in limited numbers.

The ceiling lamp designed by Paavo Tynell in 1947 for the Hotel Seurahuone in Savonlinna, Finland is one of Modernity's current most prominent pieces. Made in a small edition specifically for the hotel, the lamp reflects Tynell’s quiet elegance and finely balanced proportions. The hotel underwent renovations between 1949 and 1952, and very few of these lamps remain in circulation today. Over the years, Modernity’s London gallery director Sebastien Holt has developed strong relationships with private collectors who assist the gallery in sourcing rare works. Sebastien, when seeing this lamp for the first time, remarked:

“When I first stumbled across this lamp in a collector’s apartment, I was immediately drawn by the beauty of the form. There are very few Tynell pieces with the dancing leaf structure seen on this lamp, and almost all were made to order. The only other example I recall was the K2-33 designed for Church Kuopio in Finland.”

From the same provenance, Modernity has an even rarer chandelier designed in 1937 for the hotel's ballroom—this was a collaboration between two of Finland’s most celebrated designers: lighting pioneer Paavo Tynell and the influential glass artist Gunnel Nyman. This piece stands out not only for its sculptural presence but for the unique meeting of two design minds at a formative moment in Finnish modernism. It captures the spirit of its time—elegant, innovative, and deeply connected to the architecture it was made for.

From Denmark, Poul Henningsen’s 1957 ‘PH Louvre’ pendant tells a similar story. The PH louvre was developed in 1957 by Poul Henningsen for Adventistsamfundets church in Skodsborg Badesanatorium in Denmark. Henningsen was tasked by the architect Charles K. Gjerrild to make decorative and economic lighting for the church. In 1942, Henningsen made “The Spiral”, which was a similar lamp but more expensive. Therefore, he developed the PH louvre (also known as the “Bullet Lamp”) which had a much simpler build and cheaper price but the same lighting characteristics as The Spiral. At first, they made a model out of paper and a small one to see if the PH louvre would work in the church. They were accepted, and later made in aluminium. Our PH Louvres are originals from the church in Denmark. The PH Louvre has 13 screens, a diameter of 60 cm and a copper colour for warmer lighting.

Swedish designer Carl Fagerlund’s monumental ceiling lamp from the 1960s was made for Götabanken in Stockholm, but its refined glass and chromed metal details wouldn’t feel out of place in a palace. Andrew Duncanson, founder of Modernity, recalls walking past the Swedish business association in Stockholm and seeing 5-6 of these lamps hanging there. Ever since discovering this model he has always wanted to acquire one for the gallery. Fagerlund, who worked on interiors for General Motors’ headquarters and the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo, had a talent for blending grandeur with restraint. This particular lamp feels both sculptural and timeless—ideal for collectors who value scale and substance.

Other fixtures were designed for more intimate public spaces, but with no less care. Danish architect Palle Suenson created a sleek ceiling lamp in 1940 for the Copenhagen restaurant Au Coq d'Or, while in Finland, Alvar Aalto’s A332 ‘Beehive’ pendant—designed in 1953 for the University of Jyväskylä—is now considered one of his most beloved lighting designs. Its perforated brass rings create a soft, diffused glow, giving off warmth and comfort, whether in a public hall or a private residence.

One of the most distinctive examples comes from Ilmari Tapiovaara, who designed a one-off ceiling lamp in 1955 for Villa Rauma-Repola on Finland’s west coast. With its copper inserts and honeycomb form, the lamp creates a golden atmosphere when lit—something that feels especially fitting for the cold, dark Nordic winters. It’s both sculptural and atmospheric, a true statement piece with soul.

What links all of these designs is a shared purpose: to elevate public life through thoughtful design. Today, they’ve found new life in private collections, where they continue to inspire and illuminate. Their rarity, quality, and strong architectural presence make them more than just lighting—they’re heirlooms of modernity, built to last and to be lived with.