History of Furniture: The Arco Lamp

In my History of Furniture series, I usually write about time periods, movements, and eras in regard to interior design with an occasional foray into exterior architecture. But there have been exceptions when I examine a single piece of furniture, and delightfully, this is one of those times.

A classic and very important piece of furniture was designed in 1962 by Italian brothers designed by brothers Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni for lighting manufacturer Flos. It is called the Arco lamp and has been a staple of interiors through Mid-Century Modern, the 70s and 80s, and even now. Remarkably, it has been in constant production by Flos since its birth in 1962.

The Achille Castiglioni Foundation website describes this spectacularly elegant fixture:

Floor lamp with direct light, it fulfills the need for direct lighting on a table without having the constraint of a fixed light point on the ceiling. The base of the lamp is made up of a parallelepiped of white marble weighing approximately 65 kg, the corners are rounded, equipped with a hole made in the center of gravity, useful both for fixing the vertical stem that supports the actual arch and for easy movement of the lamp (for example by inserting a simple broom handle).

The arched stem is made up of three sectors in stainless steel profile with a U-section capable of allowing, by sliding one inside the other, telescopic advancement and the hidden passage of the wires. This gives the arch more widths, with the reflector being positioned at three different heights.

The dome is made up of two pieces: a fixed one in the shape of a perforated cap to facilitate the cooling of the lamp holder (100 watt bulb in opaline glass), the other a mobile aluminum ring, resting on the first, so that it can be rectified in position, depending on the height of the third sector of the arch.

This technical description is a good exmaple of something being more than the sum of its parts. There is a reason this fixture has sold millions. There is a timeless beauty and simplicity in this light that cannot be denied.

The Arco light can be bought from Flos and through Design Within Reach.

Happy designing!