All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Big, red, tiny, or shiny, I have to admit: I am obsessed with balls. To be clear, I mean the decorative balls that adorn the world (and objects) around us. Truth is, I’ve never encountered an ornamental orb, glossy globe, or spectacular sphere I didn’t just love. My infatuation is not new, and I relish spotting them in the mainstream across fashion, architecture, set design, and really anywhere I look. decorative ball
A few months ago, I admired the ones in the Laurel Canyon home of Aurora James. The fashion designer’s drool-worthy bedroom features an AD favorite, the Ellison Studios Yoko Bed, which calls back to her aptly named Globe Sandals that I have been coveting since their 2021 release. My obsession was once again validated during the season 15 premiere of RHONY, when Brynn Whitfield revealed that her tongue-in-cheek inspiration for her new living room was “balls in your face.” She gets it.
From New York to Nashville, the ball has no bounds, and was a huge driving force behind Kacey Musgraves’s former home. Her affinity for the spherical shape, as she describes, represents a “full-circle-ness” in her life and music, and echoes some trippy spiritual experiences she had where past connections showed up as literal orbs. The magical shape appears in most of the minimalist rooms, one of her favorites being the glowing yellow Murano luminary that lights up the serene entryway. (No disco balls in sight, which might be surprising to some.)
“There are a lot of orbs and circles in the house,” Kacey Musgraves previously told AD. “I had some spiritual experiences that involved orbs—I had a psychedelic plant therapy session in which people from my past kept presenting themselves to me in the form of orbs.”
In my own design practice, I have studied some of the world’s greatest balls. The monumental ones greeting you at Luis Barragán’s Casa Gilardi, the playful ones supporting Peter Shire’s furniture and topping off his teapots. The inviting ones adorning the tips of the Lina Bo Bardi’s Bola de Latao armchair, and the microscopic ones teasing the bottom of a Josef Hoffman fork. After about a dozen of these heart-stopping discoveries, at some point my obsession became unshakable, and led to using the perfect shape in my own work. But the best aspect of my love affair is that I am not alone. Fresh contemporary designers, seasoned creatives, and global brands are all keeping their eye on the ball and the iconic shape at the forefront of our minds. I am pleased to announce that balls are not going anywhere.
So why are we all delighted by decorative balls? Is it the early introduction in childhood and their obvious tie to play? LA based glass artist Cedric Mitchell associates the ball shape with joy, ball pits, and colorfully thrilling games of dodgeball. In fact, most of his exhuberent work is inspired by the cartoons he watches with his son, and his practice is dedicated to involving youth in the arts. Perhaps it’s that as adults, we strive for balance and perfection—both visually and in life. Could our love of the ball be purely for aesthetics? Is it their versatility (cue Dan Friedman’s entire oeuvre) and incredible ability to be both completely functional and functionless? Their ability to both ground and achieve weightlessness depending on scale and materiality? Their inability to be pegged to one specific era? All of the above.
So, when did balls really kick off? Ancient in their appeal but fresh in spirit, spheres appear far and wide: in Greek astronomy, Postmodern furniture, Mesopotamian clay balls, Art Deco steel kettles, and even Disney World’s Epcot. Their longevity proves one thing: Balls transcend time. Lovers of elegant and functional pearl-size balls, Alexis and Ginger, agree that balls are “weirdly timeless.” As the design duo further explains, balls “are so completely modern and feel like a new idea, but honestly are also some of the earliest form language we have documentation of.” It’s true, balls can be found in any time period or movement and do not belong to any in particular. From the Bauhaus to the playground, the ball is a perfect shape. No matter your preference in style or size, we could all use some more decorative balls in our lives.
A view of Aurora James’s bedroom which revolves around spherical shapes.
Ready to go bold and commit to your own ball obsession, without taking a total plunge into the postmodern pool? Try these elegant wood focused options. Functional artist Andrew Jacobs was enticed by the wooden sphere by chance: The lathe was the most versatile and cost-saving tool when first building out his shop. He enjoys creating beautifully crafted “dynamic compositions” without the use of hard edges. Also interested in soft silhouettes, fashion designer turned expert woodturner Sam Klemick, opts for big balls made of salvaged Douglas fir and finds them incredibly “grounding and resolved.”
AD senior editor and tastemaker Sydney Gore predicted that spherical feet would break the algorithm this year, and she was totally right. Joy Valdez, the creative force behind Joyful Objects, is fascinated with materiality and loves “the grains of the wood [that] achieve curved shapes on the sphere”—especially on big chunky balls that honor Mexican craftsmanship.
Although a recent discovery for me, Salak Studio has quickly become one of my favorite ball-enthusiastic studios to follow. The sphere is the star in most of their pieces, and this one is perfectly scaled to make huge statement with a reasonable footprint. If you want an even smaller but mightier ball, check out their Pop wall shelf.
Studio Kallang’s Faezah Shaharuddin wanted her Mamun Sidetable “to feel like a trustworthy friend that was just always there, and so the ball pulls just made sense. There’s a comforting tactility to them, I feel. They feel playful at any scale.” I fully agree, and especially love the light blue knobs contrasting the rich teak and walnut options.
Another playful, experimental, and ball obsessed studio, Fala Atelier, makes the case for wooden knobs in several of their projects, and I’ve been on the search for the perfect small wooden ball hooks ever since obsessing with their 097 project in Portugal.
The cabinetry in Lena Dunham’s baby blue kitchen features round knobs.
The kitchen is historically described as the heart of the home and it can be fun, even thrilling, to upgrade your mundane kitchen objects with artful alternatives (check out this ultimate dream faucet situation). The intersection of food and design is strong, and Mya Gelber recently broke down the “foodification” of staple colors like red and butter yellow. Even round food inspires, as proved by the futuristic designer behind Panorammma and the aptly named “Ball Foot Chair,” Maika Palazuelos, who insists that “Dippin dots are proof [that] balls make the world a better place.”
Bodum is one of my all time favorite brands to shop from: A majority of their handy kitchen items feature a perfect round top knob, they all pack a very fun punch of color and style, and their selections are pretty affordable.
I have been on the search for a chic paper towel holder for years, and this one is a must have.
Natalia Criado specializes in designing mystical, almost antique looking, objects and the tiny balls on many of her pieces work in tandem with the beautiful materials and details.
You can’t go wrong with Alessi or Ettore Sottsass, and this collaboration from 1985 remains one of my favorites through the years.
As an Areaware designer myself, I deeply appreciate the brands goal to elevate the most mundane of objects. Sophie Lou Jacobsen, known to adorn her iconic designs with tiny balls, has teamed up with them to create this delicate yet functional butter dish.
Molly Sims envisioned a chandelier with multiple glass globes for the bar room inside her Hamptons beach house. She and designer Dan Scotti settled on this lighting fixture from Giopato & Coombes. The Kelly Wearstler coffee table really rounds it all out.
Glass is as historic as the ball shape itself, making for a spectacular collaboration no matter the object. It’s been said that the mystical properties of “Gazing balls” (13th century Venetian glass spheres) include warding off evil and bringing good luck. These contemporary offerings are all equally magical and practical, with just the right amount of historicism.
A playful addition to anyone’s glassware collection, Maison Balzac’s selection has a colorful confetti-like offering for any tiny ball enthusiast.
Cedric, who draws inspiration from both 18th-century imperial Chinese glassware and Memphis Milano alike, highlights the whimsy and functionality of the ball in his candy-coated glass Kinetic Cups. Nostalgic gumball machines also served as great inspiration, and he likens the foot of his cup to the “shiny, colorful treats waiting to be released with a turn of the crank.”
One of Ettore Sottsass’ tamer pieces, this collectible 1984 tricolor vase is handcrafted in Italy using a traditional opaline technique.
Grace Whiteside, founder of Get Sticky Glass, is fascinated with the experimental nature of glass and its endless possibilities. This dessert plate is a surefire way to elevate your favorite snack.
Described as a “playful take on the traditional wine decanter,” the Bilboquet Carafe is the perfect amount of ball if you’re more of a subtle enthusiast.
Sweetheart of the namesake Copenhagen brand, Helle Mardahl, has had huge success creating the ultimate candy inspired pieces since 2017. Many of the unique glass pieces have some sort of ball decoration and come in a variety of colorways.
A marble cocktail table from Form (LA) featured in the kelly green office of a family’s Austin home designed by AD PRO Directory member Annie Downing.
Despite their timelessness, spheres are inherently space-age coded, fantastical, and mysterious (do you know the lore of the Diquís Spheres in Costa Rica?). The following offerings will have you time traveling back to the Sputnik era of conversation pits, or if you’re lucky, the future. Leah Ring, acclaimed designer and color expert behind the appropriately named Another Human, is proud that she can empower her clientele by “design[ing] an alien chair that uses a strange mix of materials and makes the sitter feel like the king of their universe.”
After designing a steel firepit fit for 2074, Muhly Studio’s collaborated this year with Zilah Drahn, owner of Plant and Spaces on a line of perfectly planetary planters. Inspired by the mystical properties of silver spheres, the design duo behind Muhly, Ann Edgerton and Megan Carney, like that balls can feel both “old or new”.
If you want to channel Space Odyssey: 2001, this trash bin is for you. If left alone, it might even do your dishes, or something like that.
Though technically a kitchen item, the Conico collection transcends one category. If you’re into chrome and collectible objects, Alessi houses the greats like Michael Graves and Aldo Rossi, creator of this legendary and luxurious collection of objects that are all topped off with a tiny but mighty ball.
Shapes De Luz Table Light, Primitive Glass, $450
Not only is this lamp beautifully handcrafted, the two balls and cone shape are interchangeable, and can be rearranged in any sci-fi-inspired way you’d like.
This gorgeous table is inspired by the versatility and sparkling effects of metal and reminds me of this fabulous Moda Operandi interior designed by Charlap Hyman & Herrero. As a side table, plant stand, or pedestal, its functionality matches its beauty.
If you also love a huge stainless steel ball and feel like adding some shine to your space, or channeling Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus garden, look no further.
For lovers of polished steel and all things shiny, Polish studio Good Living Co. champions the use of tiny balls in many of their designs, and their chic Alto Screen is my personal favorite.
The Jolgorio bench by Joyful Objects.
Although it’s hard for me to choose an ultimate favorite ball, it might be the red one. If you’re like me and red is your favorite color, then you wholeheartedly believe in the unexpected red theory. Much like the theory states, a dash of red can improve any environment, and tiny red balls are quite literally the cherry on top.
When I received this glorious candle as a gift, I found it so perfect that I didn’t light it for about a year.
On top of being a helpful vanity companion, handling the red ball to rotate the mirror is the childlike tactility we all need in our lives.
If you’re in the mood for a playful splurge, look no further.
Why not share the greatness of the red ball with your pets? Kids, adults, cats—we all love and identify with the iconic symbol of play.
If you’re into a slightly mischievous ball, consider this whimsical addition to your home, handcrafted by the fashionable and risk-taking studio Heven.
hardware accessories A pioneer of modernist and futurist fashion, Andrè Courrèges drew inspiration from greats like Wassily Kandinsky and Eero Saarinen, so it’s no surprise that his iconic 1970s fragrance bottle is so artful. No matter the scent or color you choose, the ball cap is sure to complement any vanity.