Tobia Scarpa Nictea Pendant Lamp in Nickel-Plated Brass by Flos 1960s

The hanging lamp model "KD 6” was designed by the brothers Castiglioni and was among the first lamps produced by the famous Italian company Kartell. KD 6 lamp ...

A rare ceiling lamp or chandelier (model Step) with a semisphere lampshade in white lacquered aluminum, it was designed by Elio Martinelli and produced by the Italian company, Martinelli Luce during the 1970s. The concentric shapes repeated in a precise sequence, from which the Step lamp is structured, reveal an attitude of the designer in search of geometric essentiality. It is a lamp characterized by simple and functional lines in which all the elements are inserted into each other reducing to a disk a few centimeters high, with closing system and telescopic opening. Its particular metal lamellar structure recalls some of the most famous lamps by Alvar Aalto and the hexagonal lamp designed in 1959 by Bruno Munare for Danese. Literature: Emiliana Martinelli, Elio Martinelli e Martinelli...

Pendant lamp with structure in lacquered metal and brass and five diffusers in opaline glass. This lamp was manufactured by the Italian company Stilnovo during the 1960s. Stilnovo w...

Mid-Century Modern ceiling lamp with five lampshades in chromed metal and lucite plexiglass. Designed by Gaetano Missaglia and manufactured in Italy during the 1970s. Acrylic, also known as the brand names lucite or Plexiglas, was developed in the 1930s. Its scientific name is Poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, and it is a type of thermoplastic, which is a plastic Material that is moldable at extremely hot temperatures and solid once cool. The company that created acrylic licensed it in two ways; first as Plexiglas to be a glass replacement, and afterwards as lucite for commercial uses in 1937. Commercially, lucite was used in jewelry, handbags, and cosmetics packaging. Plexiglas, in comparison, was often used for larger projects, such as aircraft windows, lenses for lighthouses, and aquariums. Before it was used widespread for furniture, acrylic was being utilized for military purposes, as wartime was quickly approaching. During World War 2 (1939-1945), the country’s resources were mostly directed to military uses, and acrylic was no different. Acrylic, as Plexiglas, was used to help the military, including as airplane windshields and submarine periscopes. Despite that, some people began using acrylic to make furniture. In 1939, Helena Rubinstein, a wildly successful cosmetics mogul and art collector, commissioned to Ladislas Medgyesan an entire suite of acrylic furnishings for her NYC apartment, including an illuminated acrylic bed in her bedroom and acrylic chairs for business meetings. When the war ended in 1945, acrylic was ready to be worked with in design on a larger scale. The company licensed lucite widely, making it much more available across every industry. It steadily gained momentum in the world of design, with artists and designers being inspired by its moldability and translucense. In 1959, French designer Erwine Laverne told a New York Times reporter, “The most important element in rooms is people, not furniture,” speaking to the growing popularity and importance of the clear furniture. But acrylic furniture hit its peak popularity in the 1960s and ‘70s, as more acrylic furniture designers and artists entered the scene. Glass artists began to take more of an interest in acrylics, especially taking advantage of acrylic’s flexibility, light weight, cost, and capacity to refract and filter light. Designers like John Mascheroni and Charles Hollis Jones, known as the Godfather of lucite, created iconic pieces that still look beautiful in today’s modern home. Designers and artists alike loved the durability and look of acrylic. As Charles Hollis Jones put in an interview with Ravelin Magazine, “I worked a lot with lucite when I first started. When I worked with the company that wanted me to go to Europe, they had me work with glass, ceramic, enamel. I went over there and the glass was always in the wrong color and it always broke. When the earthquakes came, I got visual proof of that. I like to work with acrylic because it does two wonderful things that glass doesn’t. It’s shatter-proof, first of all. I can also change the microstructure and make it one-tenth the strength of steel. And the most important thing it does: it carries light. Glass reflects light. lucite holds it and carries it. If you play with it, you can make a lens to look at something in space. It’s that good. It’s purer than crystal.” In fact, acrylic was often used in chandeliers as well, mixed with other materials to make incredible striking designs that would have been much more difficult to achieve with glass. Recently, acrylic furniture has once again risen in popularity. While many of the designs are timeless, more designers are coming forward with acrylic furniture for the modern home. In 2002, designer Philippe Starck introduced his Louis Ghost Chair, and the trend has only grown from there. You’ll now find entirely acrylic pieces of home furnishings and accessories, as well as acrylic-detailed furniture all across the market. With so many designs, options, and knock-offs all across the market, we at clear home design...

Elegant pendant light designed by Afra e Tobia Scarpa for Flos in the 1961. Nickeled brass. Original vintage conditions with trace of age and use. Some slight scratches. Glass lens w...

The Classic of Florian Schulz lamps. Nickel plated and glass top. Height variable by adjusting the weight from 80cm to 200cm. Fully functional. With an E27 socket. Works with 22...

Italian Mid-Century Modern nickel-plated brass and glass Nictea chandelier by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Flos, 1960, brand present. Nictea model chandelier, in nickel-plated brass an...

Impressive pendant lamp by Doria from the 1960s. Extraordinarily beautiful design with a fantastic charisma. A warm and cozy light is created. Manufacturer: Doria Condition: Very ...