Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
In partnership with his brothers Livio (1911–79) and Achille (1918–2002), Milanese industrial designer and architect Pier Giacomo Castiglioni played a role in creating some of the most iconic furniture designs in the world, particularly those that originated in the realm of mid-century modern lighting.
In the late 1930s, after graduating from the acclaimed Polytechnic University of Milan, Pier Giacomo opened a design studio with his brother Livio and likeminded architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni. Achille, also a graduate of Milan Polytechnic, joined the group after completing his studies in 1944. The era’s architects were encountering difficulty in their attempts to secure building commissions, so the group focused on designing practical everyday objects such as the Model 547, a tabletop radio for Phonola that was encased in Bakelite.
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, while Achille’s Taraxacum hanging lamp — created for FLOS with sprayed plastic polymers originally intended for military use — as well as the Arco, Snoopy and Toio lamps, which were the result of the collaboration between Pier Giacomo and Achille, are milestones in modernist lighting design.
Also for FLOS, Pier Giacomo and Achille created a series of metal frames that, wrapped in the polymer, became floor lamps (Gatto) or pendant lights (Viscontea and Taraxacum), all released in 1960. The Gatto floor lamp takes its name from the Italian word for “cat” and the inspiration for its aesthetic from lighting that George Nelson developed for legendary American furniture manufacturer Howard Miller during the 1940s. Around the same time, the designer Tobia Scarpa (son of the famed Italian architect Carlo Scarpa and one-half of the widely revered postmodern husband-and-wife design duo Afra and Tobia Scarpa) created a floor lamp called Fantasma (1961) using the polymers technique. FLOS continues to make the Castiglionis’ innovative pieces today.
In addition to their provocative lighting works, Pier Giacomo and Achille also created stereo systems, decorative objects, seating, tables and other items for the likes of Brionvega, Alessi, Zanotta, Kartell and more.
Find vintage Pier Giacomo Castiglioni floor lamps, table lamps, case pieces and other furniture on 1stDibs.
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood
19th Century English Victorian Antique Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass, Bronze
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Onyx, Carrara Marble, Statuary Marble, Quartz
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Chrome
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Wood, Glass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
1880s French Antique Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Vitrines
Brass
