WHAT MAKES AN 'ICON'?

The word gets used a lot these days-especially in the world of design. It's time to consider its true meaning.

- Stephen Wallis

Let's get one thing out of the way: The term iconic is overused. It's also hyperbolic, subjective, and culturally biased. But we are going to embrace the concept anyway, in all its imperfect glory, to discuss icons of 20th- and 21st-century design.

To clarify, we're not talking about architectural icons, which are arguably easier to come to some consensus about. But rather, what are the Empire State Buildings, if you will, of furniture and lighting produced over the past 125 years primarily in the United States and Europe? What qualities does a chair, table, or lamp need (striking originality, comforting timelessness) to be considered iconic?

"What makes a piece iconic is that it has a new aesthetic, which is either driven by changes in technology or craft, that fulfills its function perfectly," says London designer Rabih Hage, who ran a design gallery for years. Not a bad starting definition. Los Angeles designer Kelly Wearstler offers this take: "Iconic design is sexy and memorable it elicits an emotional response."

Put another way, icons are "the things that most represent their time," says New York City architect and interior designer Lee F. Mindel, who also owns Galerie 56, where he sells collectible design. "Every era has its icons, but I would say there are very few things that become iconic in their day. They need time to bake." By "baking" he means the perception-shaping forces of historical perspective and the market, which plays no small role in anointing design icons.