Bubble lights vintage ad calendar

It’s calendar season, and design fans have lots of options: Taschen’s celebration of Antoni Gaudí, Pentagram’s popular typographic extravaganza for font freaks, and Blue Ant Studio’s annual (and free) print-it-yourself calendar depicting classic chairs. For anyone looking for a midcentury motif, check out the Bubble lights calendar featuring the original 1950s advertisements and a brief design history by architectural writer and Home contributor Jeffrey Head. Just last week we reported that George Nelson’s classic white lamps are being reissued with colored shades, but the Bubble calendar includes a 1953 ad that offers this wise alternative: If you want a little drama, just add a colored light bulb. The calendar retails for $9.95 and is available at the Hennessey & Ingalls bookstore in Santa Monica, as well as the LA Phil Store at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hammer Museum store and Modernica in Los Angeles.

-- Craig Nakano