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.
1980s Ezio Didone for Arteluce/Flos/Atelier International Table & Desk 990 Lamp
By Ezio Didone, Flos
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
Italian Mid-Century White Metal Jucker Table Lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1963
By Tobia Scarpa, Flos
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century white metal Jucker table lamp by Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1963 Jucker adjustable table lamps in white metal. Produced by Flos in 1963 on a project by Tobia Scarpa. Tobia Scarpa it is an important Italian designer famous for the Soriana sofa, the africa chairs and more iconic lamps like the beautiful Biagio lamp...
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
$1,624 / item
Flos KTribe Suspension Light by Philippe Starck
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Rochester, England
Add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your space with the KTribe Suspension Light by Flos. This stunning piece features a sleek and modern design, perfect for any contemporar...
Metal
C. 2022 Smithfield S LED 3000k Black by Jasper Morrison for Flos 2x Available
By Flos, Jasper Morrison
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Smithfield Suspension Pro, originally designed by Jasper Morrison in 2009. These particular pendant lights were produced by Flos in Italy circa 2022. They are made from alu...
Aluminum
2022 Flos IC Light Suspension 1 Pendant by Michael Anastassiades in Chrome
By Michael Anastassiades, Flos
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
C. 2010 Gino Sarfatti Model 2129 Produced by Flos
By Gino Sarfatti, Flos
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This is a Model 2129 pendant lamp, originally designed by Gino Sarfatti in 1969. This particular example was produced by Flos in Italy C. 2010. This pendant lamp is comprised of an a...
Aluminum, 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
$2,158Sale Price / set|20% Off
Lampade Abat jour Junker Afra Tobia Scarpa per Flos 1970s
By Flos, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Rara Coppia Abat Jour modello Junker disegnate negli anni 70 da Afra e Tobia Scarpa per Flos. La Particolarità della Junker è il cupolotto basculante e orientabile a piacimento. Le L...
Iron
2022 Drop Up Pendant / Suspension Lamp by Michael Anastassiades for Flos
By Michael Anastassiades, Flos
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale are ten Arrangements Drop Up Pendant Lamps, sold individually, made with aluminum, silicone, and polycarbonate. The lamp was designed by Michael Anastassiades and pro...
Aluminum
2021 Extra T Table Lamp by Michael Anastassiades for Flos in Bronze
By Michael Anastassiades, Flos
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