Designer Philippe Starck (b. 1949) once said: “Nothing exists without light. Light is everything.” It should come as no surprise, then, that the prolific French creative has tried his hand at numerous lighting designs, all of which seek to push the boundaries of form in some way. The Ara table lamp, named for Starck’s eldest daughter, is one of several lighting designs he created for Italian manufacturer FLOS, the name behind some of the most inventive lights in history.
The fixture was released in 1988, six years after a commission to redesign the private rooms at Paris’s Élysée Palace for then-president François Mitterand catapulted Starck to global design stardom. The Ara table lamp consists of a simple chrome-plated metal base and tilted stem, atop which sits a “shade” in the shape of a horn that can be rotated in order to direct the light. It contains a single halogen bulb. The exaggerated and unexpected nature of the shape is typical of Starck’s thought-provoking approach to design; he frequently manipulates objects just enough, requiring the viewer to contemplate and question them.
The son of an aircraft engineer, Starck is also prone to toying with functionality and mechanics; on the Ara, the light is activated not by an external switch or pull but simply by pointing the horn shape up or down. The Ara table lamp, which is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum, has since been discontinued by FLOS. It is only available through resale.
$901Sale Price|49% Off
Ara Table Lamp by Philippe Starck Design for Flos 1988
By Philippe Starck
Located in Oirlo, LI
The Ara lamp was designed by Philippe Starck in 1988 and bears the name of his daughter. The lamp was made by Flos in Italy. The on and off switch is integrat...
Chrome
Philippe Starck Design "Ara" Table Lamp for Flos - 1988
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Desk lamp - Design - Philippe Starck - Vintage The Ara lamp was designed by Philippe Starck in 1988 and bears the name of his daughter. The lamp was made by F...
Chrome
Ara Table Lamp by Philippe Starck produced by Flos in Italy ca. 1988
By Philippe Starck, Flos
Located in Geneva, CH
Chromed steel "Ara" table lamp by Philippe Starck and produced by Flos in Italy ca. 1988 Very good condition. The lamp turns on and off by tilting the "horn". Signed underneath the base
Steel
$1,690 / item
Ara Table Lamp by Philippe Starck for Flos, 1988
By Philippe Starck
Located in Weesp, NL
A true icon of late 20th-century French design, this Ara table lamp was designed by Philippe Starck in 1988 for the renowned lighting manufacturer Flos. The lamp’s sculptural, aerody...
Metal
Mickville Gueridon by Philippe Starck for Driade 1980s
By Philippe Starck
Located in HYÈRES, FR
A radical side table by Philippe Starck for Driade. France 1980s Folding table. Signed under. Some lack of paint. Original condition.
Metal
$782
H 28.75 in Dm 23.63 in
Philippe Starck In/Outdoor Round White Tulip Bar Tables "DR.NA" for Driade
By Knoll, Kartell, Philippe Starck, Eero Saarinen
Located in Grand Cayman, KY
Introducing the Philippe Starck In/Outdoor Round White Tulip Bar Tables "DR.NA" for Driade, a stunning fusion of contemporary design and functional ver...
Metal, Steel
Gueridon Model Eros by Angelo Mangiarotti for Skipper, Italy
By Skipper, Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in Milan, Italy
Gueridon Eros model in marble Mero Marquina designed by Angelo Mangiarotti and produced by Skipper in 1971. Biography ANGELO MANGIAROTTI was born in Milan on 26th of February 1921. ...
Marble
FLOS Miss K Table Lamp in Black by Philippe Starck
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Created by innovative design master Philippe Starck, the miss K table lamp brings a delightful duality to its work. When unlit, its transparent PC (p...
Plastic
Flos Miss K Table Lamp in Fummee by Philippe Starck
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
MISS K desk/table lamp providing diffused light. Fully transparent, injectionmolded PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate, UL-94 HB) frame; opal, injectionmolded polycar...
Plastic
Gueridon table design by COMTE
By Comte S.A.
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Gueridon table with iron structure, decapé oak wood top and yellow leather. Made by CASA COMTE (1932-1960). Argentina, CIRCA 1940. Mo Amelia Teitelbau...
Leather, Oak
$4,065Sale Price|20% Off
H 28.35 in W 68.9 in D 47.25 in
Baobab Desk by Philippe Starck for Vitra, 2000s
By Philippe Starck, Vitra
Located in Radomsko, Województwo łódzkie
Function The BaObab desk, designed by Philippe Starck for Vitra, is ideal for computer-based and paper work. Constructed as a single piece, it is designed ...
Plastic
FLOS Bon Jour Versailles Table Top Red Crown by Philippe Starck
By Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This modern and timeless design is a result of the collaboration between Flos and acclaimed designer Phillippe Starck. Blending together two dynamic pieces—the Flos 2017 design Bon Jour Lamps and the Versaille candleholder created by Baccarat—the Bon Jour Versailles...
Aluminum
$302Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 19.6 in Dm 8.8 in
"Ping I" Polished Aluminum Catchall Designed by Giuseppe Chigiotti for Driade
By Giuseppe Chigiotti, Driade
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Ping I" is a polished aluminum holder or catchall, designed by Giuseppe Chigiotti and manufactured by Driade. Available in quick ship. Indoor use only. DIMENSIONS: Ø 8.8", H. 19.6" In the past houses used to be full of many helpful and small objects, for putting ashes rather than for sewing, for serving purposes rather than for display: they punctuated dwelling places. Giuseppe Chigiotti, by designing “Ping”, thinks back to those times now passed and creates a small serving furniture item, designed in two versions: "Ping I", featuring the function of generic holder or catchall, and "Ping II...
Aluminum
FLOS Guns Collection AK47 Table Lamp in Gold by Philippe Starck
Located in Marbella, ES
FLOS Guns Collection AK47 Table Lamp in Gold by Philippe Starck
Aluminum
Ara Table Lamp by Philippe Starck for Flos, 1988, Italy
By Philippe Starck, Flos
Located in Hagenbach, DE
The Ara table lamp was designed by Philippe Starck for Flos in 1988 and is a striking example of postmodern lighting design. With its sleek, minimalist silhouette and polished chrome...
Metal, Chrome
FLOS Romeo Soft T1 Halogen Table Lamp by Philippe Starck
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Part of the Romeo family created by industry innovator Philippe Starck, this stunning and strikingly simple table lamp provides diffused light through a plissé cloth shade and acid-etched pressed borosilicate glass internal diffuser. The steel stem is grey painted, and the base and yoke are die-cast aluminum. There is an injection-molded transparent PC (polycarbonate; UL-94 V2) diffuser support. The on/off switch is located on the cord. Inspiration behind the design: “Design, at best, can try to improve life,” says designer Philippe Starck. With an eye on innovation and a passion for ethical living, Starck creates pieces—like the Romeo Soft...
Steel
$1,779
H 22.45 in Dm 22.05 in
Mid-Century Wooden and Glass Plate Gueridon Produced by Giorgetti, Italy, 1980s
By Giorgetti S.p.A.
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-century wooden and glass plate gueridon produced by Giorgetti - Italy, 1980s.
Wood
Philippe Starck chrome book stand
By Philippe Starck
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Philippe Starck - Book - Easel Pirelli calendars sold separately. Measures : 54cmx54cm H:76cm Material : Chrome - Steel
Chrome
Sold
H 22.45 in Dm 9.85 in
Table Lamp 'ARA', design by Phiiippe Starck for Flos, 1988, chromed steel, works
By Flos, Philippe Starck
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The 'Ara' table lamp, designed by Philippe Starck and made by Flos, takes its name from the designer's daughter. It is a table lamp with direct adjustable light, with bold lines. The...
Steel
Sold
H 20 in W 10.5 in D 7 in
Philippe Starck Ara Table Desk Lamp, Chrome, Post-Modern by Flos Italy, 1980s
By Philippe Starck, Flos
Located in Vienna, AT
A chrome-plated and mirror-polished postmodern Ara desk or table lamp from the 1980s, designed by Philippe Starck in 1988, named after his daughter. Executed by Flos, Italy. A stylis...
Metal, Chrome
Ara Table Lamp by Philippe Starck for Flos
By Philippe Starck
Located in Vlimmeren, BE
This horn-shaped Ara table lamp is designed by Philippe Starck for Flos in 1988. It was named after his daughter. This classic Starck design incorporates ...
Chrome
Philippe Starck Ara Table Lamp in Polished Chromed Metal by Flos 1988
By Philippe Starck, Flos
Located in Cascina, Pisa
Ara table or desk lamp in polished chrome provides direct illumination. The head adjusts to direct lighting at a 90-degree angle. Designed by Philippe Starck in 1988 for Flos. Measurements: Height: 55 – 56.5 cm Lampshade: 27.5 cm Base: Ø 17.5 cm Philippe Starck was born in Paris, France in 1949. He is the son of André Starck, an aeronautical engineer and founder of Avions André Starck (airplane designer) and Jacqueline Lanourisse. Philippe Starck began his schooling at the Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix institution in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris. He then studied at the Camondo school in Paris, under the leadership of Henry Malvaux. Starck designed an inflatable structure in 1969, initiating a reflection on materiality, and showed an interest in places to live. Shortly after, Pierre Cardin offered him the post of artistic director of his publishing house. At the same time, he founded his first Industrial Design agency, Starck Product. He renamed it into Ubik6 in reference to the famous novel by Philip Kindred Dick. He began his collaborations with Alessi, Aprilia, Disform, Driade, Drimmer, Fossil, Kartell and Vitra. Philippe Starck has designed several hotels around the globe and also Steve Jobs‘s yacht, Venus. In the 1980s a long and exclusive collaboration with Flos begins, which sheds light on a series of international successes also called cult objects such as this ARA’ table lamp, the Miss Sissi table lamp (1991), the Rosy Angelis...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
Ara Table Lamp Philippe Starck for Flos in Stock
By Philippe Starck, Flos
Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Ara desk lamp designed by Philippe Starck for Flos. Usable with 100-120V, in the US.
Aluminum
