Flos Collectibles and Curiosities
Imaginative lighting is a longtime hallmark of modern Italian design. Following in the footsteps of innovative companies such as Artemide and Arteluce, the company FLOS brought a fresh aesthetic philosophy to the Italian lighting field in the 1960s, one that would produce several of the iconic floor lamp, table lamp and pendant light designs of the era.
FLOS — Latin for “flower” — was founded in the northern town of Merano in 1962 by Cesare Cassina (of the famed Cassina furniture-making family) and Dino Gavina, a highly cultured businessman who believed that artistic ideas espoused in postwar Italy could inform commercial design. The two enlisted brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni as their first designers.
Even before FLOS was formally incorporated, the Castiglionis gave the firm one of its enduring successes with the Taraxacum pendant and associated designs made by spraying an elastic polymer on a metal armature. (George Nelson had pioneered the technique in the United States in the early 1950s.) For other designs, the brothers found inspiration in everyday objects. Suggestive of streetlights, their Arco floor lamp, with its chrome boom and ball-shaped shade sweeping out from a marble block base, has become a staple of modernist decors. Designing for FLOS since 1966, Tobia Scarpa has also been inspired by the commonplace. His folded-metal Foglio sconces resemble a shirt cuff; his carved marble Biagio table lamp looks like a jai alai basket.
In 1973, FLOS purchased Arteluce, the company founded in 1939 by Gino Sarfatti, and it continues to produce his designs. In recent decades, FLOS has contracted work from several noted designers, including Marcel Wanders and Jasper Morrison. As instantly recognizable as they are, many FLOS designs remain accessible. While FLOS lighting is the essence of modernity, its sleek, subtle designs can be used to strike a sculptural note in even traditional spaces.
Browse a broad range of FLOS lighting fixtures at 1stDibs.
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Creator: Flos
Flos Lighting Catalog, 1968
By Achille
Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Flos, Tobia Scarpa
Located in New York, NY
Circa 1968 manufacturer’s catalog for the Italian lighting company Flos, showcasing the innovative and influential designs by Tobia Scarpa and by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglion...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Flos Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
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Flos collectibles and curiosities for sale on 1stDibs.
Flos collectibles and curiosities are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Flos collectibles and curiosities, although red editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original collectibles and curiosities by Flos were created in the mid-century modern style in italy during the 1960s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider collectibles and curiosities by Olivetti, Giorgio Armani, and Aldo Tura. Prices for Flos collectibles and curiosities can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $800 and can go as high as $800, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $800.
Creators Similar to Flos
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Questions About Flos Collectibles and Curiosities
- Where are Flos lights made?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Flos has manufacturing partners in multiple countries. For example, they acquired American developer Lukas Lighting in the 2010s to serve Flos’s North American audience. Shop a collection of vintage and contemporary Flos lighting from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, the arc of the Flos Arco floor lamp is designed to allow you to adjust it with ease. Designed in 1962, this iconic style features telescoping detail built into the gracefully arched arm, making it simple to increase or decrease the height. Browse a collection of Flos Arco floor lamps on 1stDibs.