We Heart This

The Art of Neon

11/22/2019

I Want It All. Step inside any of our stores nationwide and you'll find that phrase emblazoned on our walls—in bright pink neon, no less. You can spot it in our showroom, too, at our company HQ in New York. We like to think of it as our rallying cry around here and a reminder that—you know what?—it's OK to want. it. all.

Turns out we've entered another Golden Age of neon signage, one fueled by social media—hello, Instagram—and the inspirational written word. Just look around you. Seemingly every museum, restaurant, cafe—not to mention Netflix title sequences—comes complete with some fluorescent bon mots to liven up the venue… and rack up the 'grams. Here, a few of our favorites from around the world—plus the cities that earn a bonus high-wattage honorable mention.

"And If the Music Is Good, You Dance"
Where: The restaurant Alfred & Constance in Brisbane, Australia
Why: Because, well, #truth

"Well Behaved Women Don't Make History"
Where: Tonight Josephine, a cocktail bar in London
Why: While there are a number of incredible neon signs at this bar, we're partial to this one. Let's not forget this hot spot was named after Napoleon's first wife, who was apparently quite the paramour and could, as one biography noted, with “one twitch of her skirt…enthrall the man who terrorized Europe.”

"Love Over Rules"
Where: Mounted on the side of the the Salma Family Building in San Francisco, this animated installation— by artist Hank Willis Thomas—stands over six feet tall
Why: With each word on its own line, the phrase can be read myriad ways—"love over rules" or "love overrules"—and we can stand behind them all.

The Salma Family Building in San Francisco

"This Must Be The Place"
Where: Nashville's Flamingo Cocktail Club
Why: We love the bold bravado of the line. The power of thought, after all.

"It Was All a Dream"
Where: New York's Dream Midtown Hotel
Why: Wishful thinking

"I Want It All"
Where: At all Veronica Beard stores and VB HQ
Why: Do you even have to ask?

"But First, Coffee."
Where: Alfred Coffee, on Melrose Place in L.A.
Why: Who among us hasn't uttered that phrase?

Illustrative Graphic Doodles
Where: Another one for London, this time at Sketch in Mayfair
Why: If the cool graphic neon scribbles and, ahem, sketches don't captivate you, the restaurant's all-pink interior will.

Flamingo Cocktail Club in Nashville

Alfred Coffee in Los Angeles

The Veronica Beard store in Bal Harbour

Honorable Mentions

We would be remiss if we didn't call out the cities—yes, whole cities—that catapult the art of the neon into the pop-culture stratosphere. If you're a fluorescent fan, make sure to pencil in a visit to these cities—stat. And don't forget to bring your shades because, even after the sun sets, the bright lights keep on blazing.

Hong Kong, a.k.a. The Pearl of the Orient

Miami, a.k.a. The Magic City

Las Vegas, a.k.a. Sin City