How an icon is born: the lamps by the Castiglioni brothers for Flos
Perhaps no one has marked the history of lighting more than
. The choice of materials, the formal experimentation, the free irony and the functionality they pursued, gave birth to a code, followed and respected by many who came after them. Today we tell the story of four of their most iconic lamps, produced for , between 1962 and 1967, 50 years ago. Half a century that does not transpire, absolutely, in the design of these projects, current and highly sought after today. On the cover, the lamp .Arco, 1962
was a revolution, because it was the first arc lamp ever made. The intention was to have a light from above that was not a suspension and this at the time seemed unrealistic madness. A strong design idea was needed, especially to counterbalance the weight of the stem, necessary to create the height needed to bring the light upwards. And it is here that the marble base is inserted: high and narrow, so as to be heavy enough (65kg) to act as a counterweight, but not bulky. It is anchored to the arch, telescopic, for greater versatility, in stainless steel. And then there is the adjustable reflector in stamped, polished, and hollow aluminum. Arco is present in the permanent collection of the Milan Triennale and Moma in New York and was, in 2007, the first design project to which copyright was recognized and with good reason: it is, in fact, one of the more imitated.
Taccia, 1962
is characterized by a totally innovative design: its shape is out of any scheme, its stocky but delicate shape is not similar to any other lamp. The grooved steel base is reminiscent of an ancient Doric style column and contains the light source, the body is in matt black or silver anodised aluminum, the diffuser, in the original version, was designed in plastic. But the heat given off by the light caused its deformation, and for this reason, Flos decided to opt for a transparent glass diffuser with an aluminum reflector. However, today, FLos is able to produce a Taccia that is faithful to the original, using low-heat LED light and a diffuser in a plastic material that is more resistant to high temperatures. Thanks to innovation, the lamp evolves in the sign of its past.
Toio, 1962
is an Italian distortion for Toy, and the reference is to the United States, the place from which the car light that characterizes this floor lamp was imported at the time. The base is in steel as well as the structure consisting of steel profiles painted in various colors available. The stem is in brass with hexagonal section and thanks to the telescopic movement it can be adjusted in height. The overall result is a slender and austere figure, but played down both by the color of the base and the headlight.
Snoopy, 1967
We conclude with Snoopy, the table lamp designed by the Castiglioni brothers having in mind the outline of the famous little dog created in the 1950s by the mind of Charles M. Schulz. The playful inspiration is balanced by the choice of sober-looking materials: the Carrara marble of the base and the reflector in painted metal. At the time of its design, one of the innovations it presented was the light controller with minimal bulk. The lamp is characterized by an asymmetry, determined by the base, oblique to the plane. It is a lamp that easily adapts to various rooms in the home, from the living room to the bedroom.
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