Inspired by the kindergarten tradition of sharing our favourite prosaic items, new series Show & Tell asks today’s leading designers to talk about the overlooked objects that inspire them. Foregoing the haute-design objects that fill showrooms and concept shops, Show & Tell explores the remarkable beauty and innovation of the ordinary stuff around us. 

For our first episode, directed by Emile Rafael, London-based lighting designer Michael Anastassiades considers the incandescent light bulb, which illuminates his days and influences his creative output. According to Anastassiades, the bulb in its solitary form is hugely undervalued, and his own designs celebrate the purity of its spherical shape. 

“I think it is a magic object; the light bulb exists in two different forms,” says the designer. “One when it is off, the other when it is on, and they’re very different.

“When you think about the experiences that surround its function, suddenly there is movement, shadow, the objects illuminated by it,” he continues. “And the entire world, which we can then perceive from our own perspectives.”