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.
H 75.6 in W 9.06 in D 9.06 in
Bibip floor lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1970s
By Flos, Achille Castiglioni
Located in Rotterdam, NL
Bibip floor lamp designed in 1977 by Achille Castiglioni and manufactured by lighting company Flos. Bibip is an adjustable light, that can be used both as ...
Aluminum
H 62.21 in W 6.7 in D 8.27 in
"Toio" floor lamp designed by Achille &Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos 1960ca
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Milano, Lombardia
"Toio" floor lamp designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, manufactured by Flos, 1960s, Italy. Floor lamp made of steel with white-painted elements, an adjustable stem, an...
Steel
H 75.99 in Dm 9.06 in
Rare 'Bibip' Floor Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, 1976
By Achille Castiglioni
Located in Dronten, NL
A highly rare Bibip floor lamp designed in 1976 by the legendary Italian designer Achille Castiglioni for Flos, one of the most influential lighting manufacturers of the 20th century...
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
H 62.21 in W 8.27 in D 6.7 in
Floor lamp Toio, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos, 1962
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Toio floor lamp, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos, 1962. An icon of industrial design, the Toio lamp was designed by the Castiglioni brothers in 1962 for Flos. Featuring a ...
Metal, Steel
H 74.4 in W 23.6 in D 23.6 in
Flos Luminator Floor Lamp in White with Iron and Metal Frame
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Flos Luminator Floor Lamp in White with Iron and Metal Frame by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni Floor lamp providing indirect light. Bulb with r...
Iron
H 9.06 in Dm 74.81 in
Achille Castiglioni, Bibip, Floor Lamp, Flos, 1970s
By Achille Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Paris, FR
Achille castiglioni (1918-2002). Bibip A ceramic and metal floor lamp. The swivel aluminum reflector with a circular handle connected with a white ceramic head on a steel slen...
Metal
H 75.6 in W 9.85 in D 6.7 in
Gino Sarfatti floor lamp model 1074 Arteluce Italy 1957
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
The Model 1074 Floor Lamp, designed by the renowned Italian designer Gino Sarfatti in 1957, is a prime example of minimalistic elegance. Manufactured by Arteluce, this lamp showcases...
Metal, Aluminum
H 85.04 in W 13.78 in D 18.9 in
Floor lamp mod 1063 by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy 50's
By Arteluce, Gino Sarfatti
Located in Catania, IT
Floor lamp mod 1063 by Gino Sarfatti for Arteluce, Italy 1953. The lamp you are looking at is painted in a very unusual gold color, which probably makes it unique, as confirmed by th...
Metal
H 65.36 in Dm 7.88 in
Azucena Floor Lamp from 1954 Designed by Ignazio Gardella, Italy
By Azucena, Ignazio Gardella
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This Italian floor lamp from 1954 was designed by Ignazio Gardella and manufactured by Azucena. It is the model LTE 6 and consists of a brass frame on a marble base and a ribbed glas...
Marble, Brass
H 68.9 in W 7.88 in D 6.7 in
Toio Floor Lamp by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, 1962
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Amsterdam, NL
An icon of 20th-century industrial design, the Toio floor lamp was created in 1962 by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos. A radical reinterpretation of the tra...
Steel
Rare LTE 5 Floor Lamp by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena
By Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Azucena
Located in Los Angeles, CA
LTE 5 floor lamp by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena. Designed and manufactured in Italy, 1953. Slender enameled brass floor lamp with sharp conical shade and ...
Brass, Steel, Enamel
‘Bibip’ Floor Lamps by Achille Castiglioni for FLOS
By Achille Castiglioni, Flos
Located in Los Angeles, CA
‘Bibip’ Floor Lamps by Achille Castiglioni for FLOS (IT, 1976) Enameled steel white base and upper socket housing. Steel ring at top paired with a chrome socket cover. Ability to ar...
Steel, Chrome
Model LT8 Floor Lamp by Osvaldo Borsani
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model LT8 floor lamp by Osvaldo Borsani. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa 1950s. Enameled metal, brass. Original European cord We recommend two Neon Fluorescent tubes. Bulbs...
Brass, Metal
Model LT 338 Floor Lamp by Carlo Nason for Mazzega
By Mazzega, Carlo Nason
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model LT 338 floor lamp by Carlo Nason. Originally designed in 1967. Current production by Mazzega designed and manufactured in Italy. Brushed copper, polished ...
Copper
Coupe 3321 Floor Lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce
By Oluce, Joe Colombo
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"Coupe" 3321 floor lamp by Joe Colombo for Oluce. Current production. Lacquered metal base, chromium-plated stem. Special semi-cylindrical reflector, tilts and turns on a black plast...
Aluminum, Chrome, Metal
G30 Floor Lamp by Pierra Guariche
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The kite: that was the name Pierre Guariche himself coined for this striking floor lamp. Its white lacquered perforated steel shade immediately catches the eye, clearly suggesting th...
Metal, Steel
