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.
Italian mid-century modern wall lamp Light Ball by Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Wall or ceiling lamp model Light Ball with spherical diffuser in opaline glass. The round-based structure is matte metal. Produced by Flos in 1960s and designed by Achille and Pier G...
Metal
Italian mid-century modern wall lamp Light Ball by Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern matte metal wall lamp Light Ball by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s Wall or ceiling lamp model Light Ball with spherical diffuser in ...
Metal
Walla Walla wall lamp designed by Philippe Starck and manufactured by Flos 1994
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Ravenna, IT
Walla Walla wall lamp designed by Philippe Starck and produced by Flos in 1994. Designed for an environment that does not sacrifice elegance or functionality, the lamp has the specia...
Plastic
2020 Spun Light T1 Table Lamp Shiny / Gloss Black by Sebastian Wrong for Flos
By Flos, Sebastian Wrong
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a Spun Light T1 table lamp with a gloss black spun metal frame and aluminum diffuser. The lamp was designed by Sebastian Wrong, produced by Flos in Italy and date...
Metal, Aluminum
1980s Ezio Didone for Arteluce/Flos/Atelier International Table & Desk 990 Lamp
By Flos, Ezio Didone
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Desk 990 Lamp, originally designed by Ezio Didone in 1983. This particular example Flos acquired from Arteluce and was produced in the 1980s. Atelier International distribu...
Aluminum, Iron
2021 Tab Floor Lamp Lamp by Barber and Osgerby for Flos Aluminum White
By Flos, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a Tab F floor lamp with a white finish. The lamp was designed by E. Barber & J. Osgerby, produced by Flos in Italy. It dates to circa 2021 and is guaranteed as au...
Aluminum
Italian modern Black and White chandelier by Castiglioni brothers, Flos 1965
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Black and White model chandelier, with rounded diffuser, in opaline glass, containing two E27 connections. The lower part is made of metal and is equipped with another central and ex...
Metal
Large Table Lamp "Gatto" by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in bruxelles, BE
Table lamp designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni . Large Model Gatto. Stamped Flos inside. Wear due to time and age of the lamp. FOR SHIPPING, REQUEST US FOR RECEIVE THE B...
Metal
Biagio Table Light by Tobia Scarpa for FLOS
By Flos, Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vancouver, BC
Designed by Tobia Scarpa in 1968. Table lamp providing direct light. Lamp body carved seamlessly from a single block of Carrara marble. Elegant and unique, this light is a sculptu...
Carrara Marble
Italian Chandelier Black and White by brother Castiglioni for Flos, 1970s
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Chandelier mod. Black and White with a rounded diffuser in opaline glass, containing two E27 connections, and a lower metal part equipped with another central and external E27 connec...
Metal
Vintage Contemporary Flos Chandelier
By Flos
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Elevate your space with the sleek sophistication of this Vintage Contemporary Flos Chandelier. Designed by the renowned Italian lighting brand Flos, this chandelier blends modern min...
Metal
Italian mid-century modern Glass Chandelier Bilobo by Tobia Scarpa Flos, 1960s
By Flos, Tobia Scarpa
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern Glass Chandelier Bilobo by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960s Chandelier mod. Bilobo with rounded diffuser in Murano bollicine glass. The structure that supports...
Aluminum
Afra and Tobia Scarpa "Flos" Metal Crome Glass 1960 Italy
By Flos
Located in Milano, IT
Chandelier Metal Crome Flos
Gold, Steel, Stainless Steel
2022 Flos IC Light Suspension 1 Pendant by Michael Anastassiades in Chrome
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an IC Lights S1 Suspension Lamp made with chromed steel and blown glass. The lamp was designed by Michael Anastassiades and produced by Flos in Italy. It dates to...
Steel
$2,488Sale Price|20% Off
Nictea chandelier by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for flos 1962
By Afra & Tobia Scarpa, Flos
Located in Torino, IT
Suspension chandelier model Nitcea designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Flos. Particular Space Age style chandelier produced in 1962. Nickel-plated brass frame and diffuser and pr...
Brass
2021 Extra T Table Lamp by Michael Anastassiades for Flos in Graphite
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an Extra T table lamp with a graphite finish. The lamp was designed by Michael Anastassiades, produced by Flos in Italy. This lamp dates to circa 2021 and is guar...
Aluminum
2021 Extra T Table Lamp by Michael Anastassiades for Flos in Bronze
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an Extra T table lamp with a bronze finish. The lamp was designed by Michael Anastassiades, produced by Flos in Italy. This lamp dates to circa 2021 and is guaran...
Aluminum
Italian Design Classic Biagio Lamp by Tobia Scarpa, 1960s
By Tobia Scarpa, Flos
Located in Renens, CH
The Biagio lamp is one of Tobia Scarpa’s masterpieces. It has been cut and sculpted by hand from solid Carrara marble, resulting in a seamless piece of des...
Carrara Marble
Italian mid-century modern Glass Chandelier Bilobo by Tobia Scarpa Flos, 1960s
By Flos, Tobia Scarpa
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern Glass Chandelier Bilobo by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960s Chandelier mod. Bilobo with rounded diffuser in Murano bollicine glass. The structure that supports...
Aluminum