We all know the Sputnik, the Soviet satellite, that shifted attitudes, sphered the earth, and ushered in a new era, bringing with it the Space Race, the Sputnik Crisis and the Cold War era. We’re past that now (or are we?), but this insect-like spacecraft has made its mark.

The mid-century Sputnik light fixture was crafted after this space capsule. These fixtures come in many variations: chrome, brass, glass, lucite, you name it. The look is striking, and yet graces many types of locales, from restaurants, to living rooms, to businesses’ walls.  When I look at such an ornament, I think of Palm Springs, I think of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, I think of Hollywood during the 50s, and of mid-century modernism.  I think of a starburst and of an insect crawling the ground.  The sputnik light fixture is a thing of beauty and wonder, although it can look kitsch. Make the sputnik a focal point in a room and scatter objects around it, things of quality, not to detract, but to add to the charm of the satellite wonder.

“Looking up and out, how can we not respect this ever-vigilant cognizance that distinguishes us: the capability to envision, to dream, and to invent? the ability to ponder ourselves? and be aware of our existence on the outer arm of a spiral galaxy in an immeasurable ocean of stars? Cognizance is our crest.“
–Vanna Bonta

Attribution to Wikipedia, 1st Dibs, ModernDesign.org, Vogue, Interior Collective, Elle Decor