Achille Salvagni Lighting

Known for his use of luxurious materials such as precious metals, warm woods and even gemstones in his extensive range of tables, lighting and decorative objects, Italian architect and interior designer Achille Salvagni is widely collected and celebrated by design enthusiasts around the globe.   

Born in Rome in 1970, Salvagni was raised in a home that was filled with an eclectic mix of early 20th-century furniture and objects, thanks to his father’s buying tours of art and furniture galleries in Milan and Rome. Salvagni’s father was a key influence on his early interest in art and design — the younger Salvagni began drawing furniture at the age of 10. He would later find inspiration in the work of modernist architects like Alvar Aalto and Erik Gunnar Asplund.

Salvagni attended Sapienza University in Rome, obtaining a degree in architecture in 1998. He subsequently won a grant to study at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. 

In 2002, Salvagni founded his architecture firm Salvagni Architetti where his early projects included supermarket interiors, grand Italian apartments and yacht cabins. In 2007, he won an award at the World Yacht Trophies in Cannes for his work on the M.Y. Mikymar, a 120-foot, four-cabin yacht. 

Salvagni’s reputation for his sleek, lavish interiors drew acclaim from critics and fellow designers, and he soon established an elite global clientele. Although his primary focus was on interior design, Salvagni often found himself creating furnishings to complement his decorating projects.

While Salvagni draws from a wide range of historical elements in many of his furniture designs — for example, his Lancea table lamp is inspired by a voluminous skirt worn by Queen Elizabeth I — the influence of Art Deco can be seen in some of his coffee tables, wall sconces, side tables and chairs.

“Art Deco is the perfect balance between the past and the future,” Salvagni once said. 

Salvagni has exhibited at several galleries worldwide, including Maison Gerard in Manhattan and the Laguna gallery in London. His first show at the former took place in 2013, and designers like Amy Lau, Victoria Hagan and Jamie Drake bought pieces on behalf of clients. Salvagni's works have also been shown at PAD exhibitions in Paris, London, Monaco and Geneva. 

Find Achille Salvagni decorative objects, seating, storage cabinets and other furniture on 1stDibs.

The right table lamp, outwardly sculptural chandelier or understated wall pendant can work wonders for your home. While we’re indebted to thinkers like Thomas Edison for critically important advancements in lighting and electricity, we’re still finding new ways to customize illumination to fit our personal spaces all these years later. A wide range of antique and vintage lighting can be found on 1stDibs.

Today, lighting designers like the self-taught Bec Brittain have used the flexible structure of LEDs to craft glamorous solutions by working with what is typically considered a harsh lighting source. By integrating glass and mirrors, reflection can be used to soften the glow from LEDs and warmly welcome light into any space.

Although contemporary innovators continue to impress, some of the classics can’t be beat. 

Just as gazing at the stars allows you to glimpse the universe’s past, vintage chandeliers like those designed by Gino Sarfatti and J. & L. Lobmeyr, for example, put on a similarly stunning show, each with a rich story to tell.

As dazzling as it is, the Arco lamp, on the other hand, prioritizes functionality — it’s wholly mobile, no drilling required. Designed in 1962 by architect-product designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the piece takes the traditional form of a streetlamp and creates an elegant, arching floor fixture for at-home use.

There is no shortage of modernist lighting similarly prized by collectors and casual enthusiasts alike — there are Art Deco table lamps created in a universally appreciated style, the Tripod floor lamp by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, Greta Magnusson Grossman's sleek and minimalist Grasshopper lamps and, of course, the wealth of mid-century experimental lighting that emerged from Italian artisans at Arredoluce, FLOS and many more are hallmarks in illumination innovation. 

With decades of design evolution behind it, home lighting is no longer just practical. Crystalline shaping by designers like Gabriel Scott turns every lighting apparatus into a luxury accessory. A new installation doesn’t merely showcase a space; carefully chosen ceiling lights, table lamps and floor lamps can create a mood, spotlight a favorite piece or highlight your unique personality.

The sparkle that your space has been missing is waiting for you amid the growing collection of antique, vintage and contemporary lighting for sale on 1stDibs.