Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Milanese designer and architect Achille Castiglioni sought to inject personality into all of his work, and found deep inspiration in everyday objects. A legend of Italian mid-century modernism, he created iconic, universally loved table lamps, chairs and other lighting and furniture with his likeminded brothers during the postwar years.
There was the Snoopy lamp, which brings to mind the unmistakable Peanuts character, while the shape of a common street lamp inspired the design behind the Arco floor lamp. Elsewhere, the Toio floor lamp — a provocative fixture in any living room — was made with automotive parts as well as run-of-the-mill recreational gear.
Castiglioni studied the classics at Liceo Classico Giuseppe Parini, art at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and finally architecture and design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. After graduating in 1944, Castiglioni began working with his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio at the studio they cofounded with classmate Luigi Caccia Dominioni.
Livio left to pursue lighting design and sound technology, leaving Achille and Pier Giacomo to continue to collaborate on various projects. One such design was the iconic Taraxacum hanging lamp for FLOS which featured a resin “cocoon” created with sprayed plastic polymers that protects its steel core and allows for the diffusion of light.
Castiglioni won Italy’s highest award for industrial design — the Compasso d’Oro — seven times, and the Museum of Modern Art was home to his first individual retrospective in the United States. Castiglioni later taught at the Polytechnic University of Turin and at Polytechnic in Milan.
Castiglioni’s designs remain timeless. Some of them can be found in Tokyo’s Living Design Center Ozone, the Triennale di Milano and the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center.
Find vintage Achille Castiglioni lighting, seating, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Beech
Early 20th Century American Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Steel, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Nickel
Early 20th Century French Industrial Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Modern Achille Castiglioni Desks and Writing Tables
Wood