Livio Castiglioni

Livio Castiglioni and his siblings Achille (1918–2002) and Pier Giacomo (1913–68) are responsible for creating some of the most iconic furniture designs in the world, particularly those that originated in the realm of mid-century modern lighting. Punctuating their legacy, the trio was among the founders of Italy’s Association for Industrial Design (ADI), which awards the country’s most prestigious and highly coveted design prize — the Compasso d'Oro. 

In 1936, Livio completed his studies in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan. By 1938, he, Pier Giacomo and fellow Italian industrial designer and architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni opened their own firm in Milan. Architects at that time were struggling to secure building commissions, so the group focused on designing everyday objects such as the Model 547, a tabletop radio for Phonola that was encased in Bakelite. By 1944, the youngest brother, Achille, had also graduated from Milan Polytechnic and joined his siblings at their studio.

The Castiglioni brothers produced wildly popular and innovative designs throughout the 20th century. Vintage furniture collectors may be familiar with Livio and Italian designer Gianfranco Frattini’s serpent-like Boalum lamp or Achille’s Taraxacum hanging lamp, which was created for FLOS with sprayed plastic polymers originally intended for military use. Additionally, the Arco, Snoopy and Toio lamps, which were the result of the collaboration between Pier Giacomo and Achille, are milestones in modernist lighting design.

Despite achieving success as an industrial designer, Livio left the firm in 1952 to pursue lighting design and sound technology. He worked as a design consultant for companies such as Brionvega. 

Together with his son, Piero, Livio created the Scintilla lighting system for Fontana Arte in the 1970s and continued to design for multiple brands including Alessi, Artemide and Stilnovo until he passed away in 1979.

Find vintage Livio Castiglioni lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.