Italian mid-century Arco floor lamp by the Castiglioni brothers for Flos, 1962

It was a humble street light that inspired Achille Castiglioni (1918–2002) and his brother Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1913–68) to design their Arco lamp. The two men, along with their eldest brother, Livio, were the sons of prominent Milanese sculptor Giannino Castiglioni, and all became trained architects. Achille graduated from the acclaimed Polytechnic University of Milan in 1944 and joined Pier Giacomo and Livio in the design studio they'd opened with Luigi Caccia Dominioni. With large architectural assignments hard to come by, the Castiglionis focused on small-scale projects. At the core of their design philosophy was problem-solving, creating objects that fulfilled consumer needs. Their motto was: “Start from scratch, stick to common sense, know your goals and means.”

With functionality a primary concern, the Castiglionis produced pieces inspired by the “readymades” of artist Marcel Duchamp. The Arco lamp was born out of a desire to create a fixture that illuminated like pendant lighting but didn’t require drilling into the ceiling and that could be moved as its owner’s interior evolved.

The initial Arco lamp, designed in 1962, had a marble base (weighing 110 pounds), a chrome ball shade and a long curved steel arm that enabled light to be projected from nearly eight feet up, as if from a chandelier hung overhead. In another ingenious touch, the Castiglionis drilled a hole in the marble base through which a broomstick could be guided to serve as a handle so that two people could move it.

The same practicality is evident in the other famed lighting pieces — including the Snoopy and Taccia table lamps — that Achille and Pier Giacomo designed for FLOS. The brothers began their relationship with the Italian lighting company in 1960, and it continues to make their signature pieces today.

Milanese designer and architect Achille Castiglioni sought to inject personality into all of his work, and found deep inspiration in everyday objects. A legend of Italian mid-century modernism, he created iconic, universally loved table lamps, chairs and other lighting and furniture with his likeminded brothers during the postwar years. 

There was the Snoopy lamp, which brings to mind the unmistakable Peanuts character, while the shape of a common street lamp inspired the design behind the Arco floor lamp. Elsewhere, the Toio floor lamp — a provocative fixture in any living room — was made with automotive parts as well as run-of-the-mill recreational gear. 

Castiglioni studied the classics at Liceo Classico Giuseppe Parini, art at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and finally architecture and design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. After graduating in 1944, Castiglioni began working with his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio at the studio they cofounded with classmate Luigi Caccia Dominioni.

Livio left to pursue lighting design and sound technology, leaving Achille and Pier Giacomo to continue to collaborate on various projects. One such design was the iconic Taraxacum hanging lamp for FLOS which featured a resin “cocoon” created with sprayed plastic polymers that protects its steel core and allows for the diffusion of light.

Castiglioni won Italy’s highest award for industrial design — the Compasso d’Oro — seven times, and the Museum of Modern Art was home to his first individual retrospective in the United States. Castiglioni later taught at the Polytechnic University of Turin and at Polytechnic in Milan.

Castiglioni’s designs remain timeless. Some of them can be found in Tokyo’s Living Design Center Ozone, the Triennale di Milano and the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center.

Find vintage Achille Castiglioni lighting, seating, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.