Heir to Best & Lloyd, one of the world’s largest lighting factory in Birmingham, Robert Dudley Best felt that many of the lamp designs manufactured by the factory were outdated. After visiting the International Exhibition of Modern Design in Paris, Dudley Best was inspired to study industrial design. During his studies, he started sketching what would now come to be known as the Bestlite lamps for Scandinavian brand Gubi.
Like many others, Dudley Best was greatly influenced by Bauhaus, a movement founded by his friend Walter Gropius, distinguished by clean, rigid lines. He decisively stripped away unnecessary trimmings and details of the traditional Best & Lloyd products, with both commercial and domestic use in mind. His design philosophy was that furniture, particularly lighting should be functional and elegant.