Robert Dudley Best

Robert Dudley Best 1892–1984

Robert Dudley Best was born into a legacy of British industrial manufacturing. As the heir to Best & Lloyd, then the world’s largest lighting factory, he had a natural place within the traditional lighting industry. But that wasn’t the path he would choose for himself. While studying industrial design in Düsseldorf and Paris, he encountered new ideals—far from the ornate fixtures that defined the aesthetic of British homes at the time. It was during this period that he came into contact with the ideas of the Bauhaus movement and developed a close relationship with its founder, Walter Gropius.

Best was deeply inspired by Bauhaus principles, which combined artistic integrity with industrial production. He began sketching his own lamp designs during his studies, and these early drawings would later form the foundation for what became Bestlite—a series of lamps still manufactured today according to the same core principles of function, simplicity, and technical precision.

In 1930, he returned to Birmingham, where the family business was based. Despite resistance from his father, who felt the design was too far removed from the company's traditional product line, Best managed to convince him to put it into limited production. Initially, the lamps were sold primarily to car workshops and military facilities, including the Royal Air Force, thanks to their practical construction and robust design.

Bestlite and the industrial breakthrough

However, it wasn’t until the lamp reached architecture studios and was featured in Architects Journal that its design philosophy gained broader recognition. The magazine described Bestlite as Britain’s first Bauhaus-inspired product, attracting attention far beyond the industry. When Winston Churchill placed a Bestlite BL1 on his desk in the wartime bunkers beneath Whitehall, the lamp's status as an icon was cemented. Some reports even suggest he took the lamp with him on his travels, further highlighting its personal significance to him.

Originally intended as a domestic product, Bestlite first found success in technical and professional settings. This functional origin helped the lamp earn credibility among architects, designers, and engineers. What set Bestlite apart from many other products on the market was its honesty in expression. No excessive decoration. No compromise on function. Just clean lines, high-quality materials, and adjustability driven by practical use.

The design was based on clear forms with curved steel arms, ball-jointed connections, and a minimal shade. Materials like chrome, aluminium, and later painted metal were used to create a fixture that could both integrate into modern interiors and stand on its own as a functional object. Bestlite became an answer to the modernist question: how can industrial manufacturing be refined through good design?

After World War II, the lamp series continued in its original form. Unlike many contemporary products that were updated to reflect changing colour trends or fleeting styles, Bestlite retained its consistent design language. Today, models are available for wall, table, ceiling, and floor, but the colour palette has always remained restrained. Black, white, and metal—colours that emphasize function and refinement rather than decoration.

In 2004, production was taken over by the Danish design company Gubi, which continued to manufacture the lamps according to the original drawings. Production still takes place in Birmingham, where it all began. Bestlite is now part of several permanent collections, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but it’s in daily life and work that the lamp continues to be most useful.