Image source: www.telasapiens.com
THE ARCO LAMP
It was 1962 and light fell on tables, desks and magazines directly from the ceiling.
There were also floor lamps, but they were unwieldy and didn’t light exactly the point you needed.
An idea came to the Castiglioni brothers, Pier Giacomo and Anchille: to make a marble base and a steel arc-shaped structure which allowed the light to shine exactly on the point you needed. Brilliant!
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Thus, the Arco lamp produced by Flos was born.
Simple, logical and flexible.
The first time I saw this lamp I was in the Art department of the University of Ca’ Foscari in Venice.
Looking at it I understood what design is.
Love at first sight!
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Image source: L-arte.it
LEGGI ANCHE: Zaha Hadid for Alessi.
The Arco lamp is a tangible and reliable demonstration that, when a design is well done, with high-class features and carefully selected materials, innovative functionality, and aesthetics very in line with current times, it’s destined to triumph massively and remain a very popular artifact for a long time. I have a replica that I bought at Manhattan Home Design, and it’s practically identical to the authentic piece.
The quality of the materials and an accurate design are the characteristics to create an object that can stand the test of time. The Arco lamp is more than a lamp. It is a design masterpiece.