A ceiling and floor lamp
One of the most iconic designs of the second half of the 20th century is, without a doubt, the Arc lamp, epitome of design . Its stylized but rotund figure has starred in all types of modern spaces, from offices to living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, hotel lobbies, restaurants, etc. has such stage presence which is difficult to go unnoticed in any environment.
Today we tell you a little more about this great design that the brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni They devised 61 years ago, in 1962, and that continues to be an object of desire in the most avant-garde projects.
Features
La Arco floor lamp is made in satin stainless steel, with an adjustable and height-adjustable reflector, in stamped, polished and blued aluminum. But if any piece of its structure defines its design, it is the rectangular foot of Carrara marble, which weighs 65 kilos and which gives stability to the curved structure. The arch is composed of several sections with a telescopic system which allows the arch to be extended or reduced in three different heights.
Measurements for large spaces
Without a doubt, the dimensions of the Arco lamp They require open and spacious spaces, where the design shines. Already at the height of 2,40 m, It reaches almost the height of the ceilings of the current homes, and the extension of the arch goes from the 2,15 to 2,20 m.
The screen, with a diameter of 320, is composed of a fixed hemispherical piece and perforated for bulb ventilation; and a ring of mobile aluminum, supported on the first, which allows the light to be directed according to the height.
60 years without aging
The Arco lamp is a design that is exclusively sold by the lighting signature Floss, for which the Castiglioni brothers made numerous designs. During all these years, the only modification that the design has undergone has been to adapt its electrical system to current standards (for example, the incorporation of led lights). They recently released a limited edition, Arc K 2022, that replaces the marble foot with a piece of lead free crystal, whose price reaches 10.000 euros. For its part, the traditional Arco costs 2.650 euros. Below this price, don't be fooled, it is a copy.
Achille Castiglioni, the father of modern Italian design
Of the three Castiglioni brothers, Achilles He was the one with the longest and most relevant professional career. Born in 1919 in Milan, Achille studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan, city where he lived and died in 2002. After the Second World War he joined the studio led by his brothers Livio and Pier Giacomo.
The Castiglioni brothers' team became one of the most elegant and innovative in modern design and, without a doubt, a distinguished hallmark of the Italian Design.
His work philosophy was based on using the minimum of materials to create a powerful effect. The everyday objects They were a source of inspiration, from which they were reinvented with ingenuity and fantasy, without losing rigor and functionality. used common materials in small quantities, while creating shapes with maximum effect, as demonstrated by the Arco lamp.
Prolific and committed designer
Achille Castiglioni was a great design theorist and an excellent professor, also at the Milan Polytechnic, where he instilled in his students such simple, but wise, precepts as “Start from the bottom. Follow your common sense. Know your means and your goals”, or “What you need is a constant and consistent way of designing, not a style”.
Castiglioni designed dozens of objects, with a special love for lighting. He also did work on ephemeral architecture for numerous art exhibitions, trade fairs, and showrooms.
With an impressive career, Achille accumulated, throughout his career, nine Compassos d'Oro. Fourteen of his designs are exhibited at the MoMA in New York and many others are distributed in the most renowned museums in the world. He has obtained awards and decorations but, above all, world prestige such as father of modern Italian design.
Photos: Flos and Fundazione Achille Castiglioni.
