Mid-Century Cocoon Pendant Lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, Italy, 1960s

Inspired by the shape of a dandelion — and named for the flowering plant in Latin — the Taraxacum 1 pendant lamp exemplifies the ideas, technology and sense of play that galvanized Italian design in the decades following World War II.

This was a period in which art and design were moving away from geometric shapes and toward organic ones. Designers embarked on countless experiments with new materials — for example, the Taraxacum’s resin “cocoon,” which protects its steel core and allows for the diffusion of light, was created with sprayed plastic polymers originally intended for military use. Such innovation was a hallmark of Italian lighting pioneer brothers Achille (1918–2002) and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1913–68).

Milan born and bred, Achille Castiglioni earned an architecture degree from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1944, while his brother Pier Giacomo, also an architect, graduated in 1937. Achille soon joined Pier Giacomo and their older brother, Livio, working on industrial products and furniture design at a practice the elder Castiglionis founded in the late 1930s. (Livio left the office in 1952.)

Before Pier Giacomo passed away in 1968, he and Achille would collaborate on interiors as well as numerous nimble-minded and revered designs, such as the charming and unmistakable Snoopy lamp (1967) as well as the Arco lamp (1962), which answers the question: What would it look like if we brought street lighting inside?

Designed in 1960, the Taraxacum hanging lamp diffuses a soft, warm light that is suitable for any dining area. Clever and striking, it remains one of the most popular lamps from legendary Italian lighting company FLOS. In 1988, Achille updated its design, which is sold today as the Taraxacum 88 lamp.

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.