Never in the days when he was studying urban planning at the University of Illinois or photography at Columbia College did Richard Wasserman dream that one day he would be designing contemporary lamps so marvelously fresh and cheerful that they would be featured in the likes of Metropolitan Home and House Beautiful magazines.
He had taken a crack at it as a 4-year-old. But that was just play. His maternal grandparents had sold lamps in a retail establishment in the `20s, and his father, Sidney, worked for his in-laws until 1963. Eventually Sidney and his wife, Betty, started selling wholesale at the Lang/Levin showroom. When they bought the business, making lampshades was the major part of the operation.
Young Richard would come down to the shop (now there`s a showroom in the Merchandise Mart) on Saturdays. His parents would toss some parts his way, and he`d put them together.
”The filigree ball was my favorite,” says Wasserman. ”I`d make my lamp, then when I`d leave, they`d take it apart and surprise me with the same parts the next week.”
With nary an encouraging word from his family, Wasserman went off to college to pursue other interests. But he returned to the family business in 1972. And about 10 years later he got the urge to play with parts again.
”I think part of it was pragmatic. We decided to manufacture some very contemporary things,” Wasserman says. ”People didn`t seem to be using antiques as they used to. We saw them going to Plexiglas and chrome.”
That he never had formal design training didn`t faze Wasserman. ”I think that can work for and against you. Perhaps I`m a little looser because I don`t have the background; on the other hand it might be nice because I could draw better. I really don`t know where the designs came from. They`re quite intuitive.”
Some of Wasserman`s designs might be labeled Postmodern. He developed a technique of painting to achieve what he calls ”fantasy” finishes, some of which mimic fossil stone, onyx and marble, after studying the various processes during a weeklong workshop on Long Island; these techniques are applied both on lamps, such as the Neoclassical ”Obelisk,” and furniture.
New Wave is another possible influence. Several pieces, such as
”Alien,” a wood-and-aluminum multilegged floor lamp that sits on triangular points, are quite whimsical. ”I think a lot of design is too serious,” says Wasserman.
One of his most popular designs is the ”Beehive,” whose hand-turned hardwood body is shaped like one and is colored with layered coats of metallic lacquer in magenta with a teal base.
”I think some of those colors came from the `50s,” says Wasserman, who no doubt has recollections of such products from his youth. ”Remember, there used to be a lot of aluminum tumblers.”
His dad thought the designs were, well, a little weird. ”But he was willing to go along with them, to see what would happen,” Wasserman says. The lamps range in price from $400 to $750.
Among Lang/Levin`s clientele, reaction to the young designer`s works has been mixed. ”People either love them or hate them,” Wasserman says.
Although he must, of course, harbor a fondness for his creations, perhaps not all of them will wend their way into the north suburban home he shares with wife, Penny. ”I`m rather a traditionalist myself,” he says.
