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Flos

Imaginative lighting is a longtime hallmark of modern Italian design. Following in the footsteps of innovative companies such as Artemide and Arteluce, the company FLOS brought a fresh aesthetic philosophy to the Italian lighting field in the 1960s, one that would produce several of the iconic floor lamp, table lamp and pendant light designs of the era.

FLOS — Latin for “flower” — was founded in the northern town of Merano in 1962 by Cesare Cassina (of the famed Cassina furniture-making family) and Dino Gavina, a highly cultured businessman who believed that artistic ideas espoused in postwar Italy could inform commercial design. The two enlisted brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni as their first designers.

Even before FLOS was formally incorporated, the Castiglionis gave the firm one of its enduring successes with the Taraxacum pendant and associated designs made by spraying an elastic polymer on a metal armature. (George Nelson had pioneered the technique in the United States in the early 1950s.) For other designs, the brothers found inspiration in everyday objects. Suggestive of streetlights, their Arco floor lamp, with its chrome boom and ball-shaped shade sweeping out from a marble block base, has become a staple of modernist decors. Designing for FLOS since 1966, Tobia Scarpa has also been inspired by the commonplace. His folded-metal Foglio sconces resemble a shirt cuff; his carved marble Biagio table lamp looks like a jai alai basket.

In 1973, FLOS purchased Arteluce, the company founded in 1939 by Gino Sarfatti, and it continues to produce his designs. In recent decades, FLOS has contracted work from several noted designers, including Marcel Wanders and Jasper Morrison. As instantly recognizable as they are, many FLOS designs remain accessible. While FLOS lighting is the essence of modernity, its sleek, subtle designs can be used to strike a sculptural note in even traditional spaces.

Browse a broad range of FLOS lighting fixtures at 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$2,510
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
White "Light Ball" Wall or Ceiling Lamps by Castiglioni for Flos, Italy 1970s
White "Light Ball" Wall or Ceiling Lamps by Castiglioni for Flos, Italy 1970s

White "Light Ball" Wall or Ceiling Lamps by Castiglioni for Flos, Italy 1970s

By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos

Located in Roma, IT

Amazing Mid-Century “Light Ball” wall or ceiling lamp in white enameled metal and opaline glass. This iconic flush mount light was designed by Achille Castiglioni and manufactured in...

Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos

Materials

Metal

Castiglioni Red Metal "Light Ball" Wall or Ceiling Lamp for Flos, Italy 1970s
Castiglioni Red Metal "Light Ball" Wall or Ceiling Lamp for Flos, Italy 1970s

Castiglioni Red Metal "Light Ball" Wall or Ceiling Lamp for Flos, Italy 1970s

By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos

Located in Roma, IT

Amazing Mid-Century “Light Ball” wall or ceiling lamp in vibrant red enameled metal and opaline glass. This iconic flush mount light was designed by Achille Castiglioni and manufactu...

Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos

Materials

Metal

Nictea Pendant by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Flos, Italy, 1960s
Nictea Pendant by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Flos, Italy, 1960s

Nictea Pendant by Afra & Tobia Scarpa for Flos, Italy, 1960s

By Flos, Afra & Tobia Scarpa

Located in Berlin, DE

The Nictea pendant is composed of two rounded sections, seamlessly connected by carefully integrated metal components that are central to its design. Light gently passes through the ...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos

Materials

Brass, Chrome

Model Moni' 1190-1200 Ceiling Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s, Italy
Model Moni' 1190-1200 Ceiling Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s, Italy

Model Moni' 1190-1200 Ceiling Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s, Italy

By Flos, Achille Castiglioni

Located in Hagenbach, DE

Model Moni' 1190 - 1200 ceiling lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s, Italy Lampshade is in very good vintage condition. This lamp works with E14 light bulbs. Wired and sui...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos

Materials

Metal, Enamel

Tab Floor Lamp by Barber & Osgerby - Modern Aluminum Design, Italy
Tab Floor Lamp by Barber & Osgerby - Modern Aluminum Design, Italy

Tab Floor Lamp by Barber & Osgerby - Modern Aluminum Design, Italy

By Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, Flos

Located in Rhinebeck, NY

Tab / Floor Lamp by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby A brand new edition of the Tab family. This new edition of Tab floor lamp has an adjustable head with a 90-degree rotation capabili...

Category

2010s Italian Modern Flos

Materials

Aluminum

Cocoon Pendant Lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960s, Italy
Cocoon Pendant Lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960s, Italy

Cocoon Pendant Lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960s, Italy

By Tobia Scarpa, Flos

Located in Hagenbach, DE

Cocoon Pendant Lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960s, Italy Lampshade is in very good vintage condition. This lamp works with E27 light bulbs. Wired and suitable to use with 220V a...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos

Materials

Resin

Cocoon Table Lamp Gatto by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Flos Italy 60s
Cocoon Table Lamp Gatto by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Flos Italy 60s

Cocoon Table Lamp Gatto by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Flos Italy 60s

By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni

Located in Palermo, IT

A masterpiece of Italian mid-century design, the “Gatto” table lamp was created by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos in the 1960s. This sculptural lamp features a diffu...

Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos

Materials

Metal

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Flos Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMaterialCreation Year
2026$1,807Floor LampsMetal, Art Glass1977
2026$1,000Wall Lights and SconcesMetal, Nickel1970s
2026$4,500Chandeliers and PendantsMetal, Resin1960s
2026$555Table LampsCopper2017
2026$1,397Flush MountMetal, Glass1970s
2026$1,092Wall Lights and SconcesAluminum, Glassca. 1970s
2026$3,368Flush Mount, Wall Lights and SconcesGlass, Brass1965
2026$1,100Floor LampsAluminum, Steel2000S
2026$5,500Chandeliers and Pendants, More LightingMetal, Resin, Steel1960s
2026$5,500Lanterns, Chandeliers and PendantsAluminum, Linen1980s
2026$760Wall Lights and SconcesMetal, Nickel, Opaline Glass1960 approx
2026$640Floor LampsMetal2010
2026$854Table LampsPlastic1950
2026$1,331Chandeliers and PendantsSteel, Fiberglass1960s
2026$7,247Chandeliers and Pendants, LanternsAluminum, Linen1980s
2026$1,475Table LampsAluminum, Glass, PlasticContemporary
2026$5,683More Lighting, Chandeliers and PendantsMetal1960s
2026$1,500Wall Lights and SconcesAluminum, Metalcirca 1970
2026$1,190Floor LampsMetal1982
2026$1,944Table LampsAluminum, Glass, Blown GlassCirca 1970
$2,510
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$276-$12,902
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Creators Similar to Flos

More Flos Designs
Arco Lamp
Arco Lamp
Average Price
$5,388
Number Available
12
Materials
Metal, Marble, Stone, Steel, Aluminum
Styles
Mid Century Modern
It was a humble street light that inspired Achille Castiglioni (1918–2002) and his brother Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1913–68) to design their Arco lamp. The two men, along with their eldest brother, Livio, were the sons of prominent Milanese sculptor Giannino Castiglioni, and all became trained architects. Achille graduated from the acclaimed Polytechnic University of Milan in 1944 and joined Pier Giacomo and Livio in the design studio they'd opened with Luigi Caccia Dominioni. With large arc...
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Flos furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Flos furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Flos furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 206 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 695 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Flos were created in the modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Philippe Starck, Vistosi, and Patricia Urquiola. Prices for Flos furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $200 and can go as high as $17,550, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,273.
Questions About Flos
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Flos has manufacturing partners in multiple countries. For example, they acquired American developer Lukas Lighting in the 2010s to serve Flos’s North American audience. Shop a collection of vintage and contemporary Flos lighting from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Yes, the arc of the Flos Arco floor lamp is designed to allow you to adjust it with ease. Designed in 1962, this iconic style features telescoping detail built into the gracefully arched arm, making it simple to increase or decrease the height. Browse a collection of Flos Arco floor lamps on 1stDibs.