Achille Castriglioni and Arco Lamp

If you’re a fan of mid-century modern style, then you are probably familiar with the Achille Castiglioni Arco Lamp. Achille Castiglioni and his brother Pier Giacomo designed the original Arco Lamp in 1962. Their inspiration was a street lamp; together, they formed the company FLOS.

Achille Castiglioni was a world-renowned and influential Italian designer and architect of his time. The Arco Lamp’s design was filling a need to have a light source come from above without needing a chandelier-type fixture in a fixed location or a bulky table to house the light source. Another plus of the Arco Lamp was no wiring hassle like you would have in a chandelier installation. 

When Castiglioni took on design challenges, his primary focus was addressing the specific goals for the design. Functionality was always at the top of Castiglioni’s design philosophy list. There was always a functional reason for including a small hole or marking in a piece of furniture; he did not believe in design for design’s sake.

The inspiration for all of Castiglioni’s designs came from items he saw every day, which in themselves were already successful. The street lamp was already very successful and functional—the light was high out of the way, and its base didn’t take up any room; it was self-contained. 

Obviously, to put an actual street light inside a home wouldn’t be very pleasing to the eye; but using the materials of spun aluminum, stainless steel, and Carrara marble for the base and calling it an Arco Lamp—that’s elegance and fulfills a function.

Today the Arco Lamp design is still popular, and there are many high-quality knock-offs for those who can not afford the genuine Achille Castiglioni Arco Lamp. The current price for an original Arco Lamp hand-cut and polished Italian Carrara marble base is a replica of the original manufactured by FLOS is approximately $3500. They are sold only at exclusive high-end furniture stores. 

We love the influences of designers like Achille Castiglioni! Let our talented artisans create for you. Email us at info@adgmail.com for more information about our custom lighting design and manufacturing services. 

Photo Credit: DesignAtLarge

From the Factory Floor

Having fun! Lily pad fountain…

by Gerald Olesker, CEO, ADG Lighting