D/Vision.0 Deconstructed Cabinet with orange plexiglass by Ferruccio Laviani

Inspired by Ashford and Simpson’s 1977 disco hit “Bourgie, Bourgie,” the Bourgie lamp by Italian designer Ferruccio Laviani (b. 1960) is a cheeky take on modern consumerism in the Western world. Laviani explained that he wanted to juxtapose our desire for wealth and status against our ever-increasing reliance on Chinese manufacturers to produce our so-called luxury goods. This, of course, was an irony that he deftly reveals with the lamp’s excessively showy baroque style and mass-market plastic material.

Laviani designed the Bourgie in 2003 for the Milan-based furniture company, Kartell, where he’d been working for 12 years, first as an exhibition designer and later as a furniture designer and art director. Kartell designers work mostly in plastics and thermoplastics, and the Bourgie lamp was no exception. For his Bourgie, Laviani used either a transparent or batch-dyed polycarbonate, which is both easy to recycle and incredibly durable. The lamp is currently offered in nine colorways that range from a simple translucent to a carousel of gold, turquoise, fuschia and orange. 

Laviani told the New York Times that Dolce & Gabbana was a client when he conceived of the Bourgie lamp. “They came from baroque roots; it’s a part of the DNA of their company,” he said of the Italian luxury fashion house. “I always say I would never use gold if I’d never worked with Dolce & Gabbana. When I worked with gold in the Bourgie lamp, I was no longer afraid to use gold. I learned how to use it. It’s okay.” 

Each variation of the shade casts different playfully colored shadows, making the lamp a statement piece for a living room or office.

Born in 1960 in Cremona, Italy, Laviani studied at a number of prestigious schools, eventually earning a degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1986. Since then, he has worked with a number of manufacturers and design companies as an architect and product and interior designer. 

In 2013, Kartell invited 14 contemporary designers to reimagine the Bourgie lamp in their own style to celebrate the lamp’s 10-year anniversary. Philippe Starck, Christophe Pillet, Patricia Urquiola and Nendo were a few to take on the challenge, creating wild, whimsical and worshipful renditions of the classic.

Fratelli Boffi is an Italian furniture maker with a rich history of manufacturing excellence and whimsical design. The company's armchairs, side tables and cabinets feature high-end yet playful modern and Baroque-inspired silhouettes. Each piece contains at least one delightfully surprising element, whether it’s an unconventional shape or a bold color combination.

Artist and woodworker Carlo Boffi established Fratelli Boffi in 1928. Boffi had come to fame in the 1920s for carving exquisite chairs in the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. He opened a furniture factory in Brianza, where he took commissions from all over Italy. In 1953, the company was passed down to Boffi's sons, Federico, Roberto and Michele. The second Boffi generation continued to run a successful business and even opened a new factory in Lentate sul Seveso.

In the 1980s, Fratelli Boffi took an avante-garde direction thanks to collaborative projects with Italian nonconformist architect and designer Aldo Cibic. The company became known for making furniture in sculptural, eye-catching shapes. The ornate bases of Fratelli Boffi coffee tables and its architectural sofas are excellent examples.

In the 2000s, Fratelli Boffi embarked on numerous collaborations with other celebrated designers. Each year, the company presents new and exciting collections by names like Marc Krusin, Christophe de la Fontaine, Nigel Coates, Giopato & Coombes, Philippe Bestenheider and Ferruccio Laviani.

Today, Fratelli Boffi operates a major contracting division that has been involved in prestigious hotel, office and residential projects around the world. Cibic continues to use Fratelli Boffi furniture in his home designs, as do New York–based designers Greg Dufner and Daniel Heighes Wismer.

On 1stDibs, find Fratelli Boffi seating, tables, storage cabinets and more.