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 Glass Chandelier Bilobo by Tobia Scarpa Flos, 1960s
By Tobia Scarpa, Flos
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
Italian Chandelier Black and White by brother Castiglioni for Flos, 1970s
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos
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
2021 Tab Floor Lamp Lamp by Barber and Osgerby for Flos Aluminum White
By Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, Flos
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 mid-century gold Chandelier Splugen Brau by Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern gold metal Chandelier Splugen Brau by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, 1960s Chandelier mod. Splugen Brau with rounded shape. The turned la...
Metal
B.L.O. table light, design Marcel Wanders for Flos, 2001
By MARCEL WANDERS, Flos
Located in Ravenna, IT
B.L.O. (Blow Lamp Off) is a table lamp designed by Marcel Wanders for Flos in the early 2000s. The project reinterprets the poetic gesture of blowing out a candle in a contemporary w...
Plastic
Set of Fifteen "Giovi" Sconces by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, Italy, 1980's.
By Achille Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Set of fifteen original “Giovi” wall sconces designed by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, Italy, in the 1980's. These vintage Italian sconces feature minimalist, industrial styling with...
Aluminum
2020 Spun Light T1 Table Lamp Shiny / Gloss Black by Sebastian Wrong for Flos
By Sebastian Wrong, Flos
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
Black "GRIP" floor lamp by ACHILLE CASTIGLIONI for FLOS, Italy 1980s
By Achille Castiglioni, Flos
Located in DE MEERN, NL
BLACK 'GRIP' FLOOR LAMP BY ACHILLE CASTIGLIONI FOR FLOS, 1980S Looking for a statement piece to elevate your home decor? Look no further than the Black 'Grip' Floor Lamp by Achille ...
Metal
C. 2010 Gino Sarfatti Model 2129 Produced by Flos
By Flos, Gino Sarfatti
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
2020 Spun Table Lamp T1 Halogen Mud by Sebastian Wrong for Flos 2x Available
By Sebastian Wrong, Flos
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is a Spun Light T1 table lamp with a spun metal frame and aluminum diffuser. The lamp was designed by Sebastian Wrong, produced by Flos in Italy. It dates to circa 2...
Metal, Aluminum
$2,720Sale Price|20% Off
White Opaline Glass Italian Pendant Lamp by Achille e Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
By Flos, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
First edition Experience the ultimate in Italian design with this stunning white opaline glass pendant lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. Designed in 1965 and produced b...
Aluminum
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 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
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
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
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 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