Neon is one of the brightest lights of the current design scene. Architect Clyde Rich used it to create the eerie beauty of this New York City pad for bachelor entrepreneur Douglas Campbell, who has houses from coast to coast. The living room is jet black but the neon-bright accents shower it with vivid color. A semicircular banquette, piled with colorful pillows, swirls across the room; the mirror wall behind it repeats the entire setting by reflection. The table of glowing plastic, designed by Rich, illustrates his exploration of the design potentials for furniture of clear and colored plastics. At the window Rich has hung a white Roman shade. In another view of the living room, bottom, the existing fireplace adds a note of naturalness to the futuristic setting. The entry hall arch, below, is outlined in neon and glows with colors that change the tones of the herringbone-patterned walls. The dining counter, across from the banquette at one end of the living room, is seen through the neon arch. Clear plastic chairs serve for dining and are almost invisible. Over the table hangs another neon sculpture, a glowing circle.
Text by Norma Skurka with photographs by Oberto Gil for Underground Interiors
, 1972.