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.
FLOS OK Pendant Light in Chrome by Konstantin Grcic
By Konstantin Grcic, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A pendant light that feels as at home in an industrial space as it would in museum exhibit: The OK Light plays with expectations to provide functional light that is surprising and ea...
Aluminum
FLOS OK Pendant Light in Black by Konstantin Grcic
By Konstantin Grcic, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A pendant light that feels as at home in an industrial space as it would in museum exhibit: The OK Light plays with expectations to provide functional light that is surprising and ea...
Aluminum
Flos Parentesi 50 Pendant Light in White by Achille Castiglioni & Pio Manzu
By Achille Castiglioni & Pio Manzu
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Flos Parentesi 50 Pendant Light in Turquoise by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzu To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Parentesi by Achille Castiglioni...
Steel
Flos Noctambule Pendant Light with 6 High Cylinders by Konstantin Grcic
By Konstantin Grcic, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Another pioneering lighting design in the array of lamps and lighting fixtures Flos is known for, Noctambule LED dimmable pendant light with tall cylinders is one of designer Konstantin Grcic’s finest creations. Adaptable to any interior space, this dynamic fixture can be configured as a pendant lamp or standing light using the additional components available with the product. Available in a variety of unique and distinct design options, Noctambule pendant...
Glass
Bouroullec Modern White Hardwired Small Aim Light Hanging Pendant, for FLOS
By Flos, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
Located in Brooklyn, NY
FLOS AIM Small Hardwired Pendant Light in Black by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec Like the others in the AIM family created by the Bouroullec brothers in 2010, the AIM-Small ceiling...
Aluminum
Flos Noctambule Pendant Light with Cylinder & Cone by Konstantin Grcic
By Konstantin Grcic, Flos
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Crafted by Konstantin Grcic, Flos Noctambule is a new lighting system that is available in a wide variety of designs. The foundation of this lighting p...
Glass
White Profiles Pendant Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
White Profiles Pendant Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 13.5 x H 67.5 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, white glass. Available in other colors. Please contact us. All our lam...
Metal
Castiglioni & Menghi 'Canna Nuda' Metal Pendant Lamp in White for Nemo Lighting
By Roberto Menghi, Nemo Lighting 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Castiglioni & Menghi 'Canna Nuda' metal pendant lamp in white for Nemo Lighting. This beautifully designed minimalistic pendant lamp is masterfully created with integrated LED which...
Metal, Chrome
LED IS MORE pendant lamp in matt white by Davide Gropp
By Davide Groppi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A tribute to Mies van der Rohe and his Less is More. The project represents a light icon in a LED key, with a peculiar attention to energy savings and the quality of light. Finish: ...
Metal
GamFratesi 'Suspence P1' Pendant Lamp for Fritz Hansen in White
By GamFratesi Design Studio, Fritz Hansen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
GamFratesi 'Suspence P1' Pendant Lamp for Fritz Hansen in White. Established in 1872, Fritz Hansen has become synonymous with legendary Danish design. Combining timeless craftsmansh...
Aluminum
Axolight Float Suspension Lamp in White Aluminum by Mario Alessiani
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Axolight Float Suspension Lamp in White Aluminum by Mario Alessiani From the ingenuity of Axolight and the creativity of the designer Mario Alessiani, Float was born, a multifunctio...
Aluminum
white plastic & metal counterweight pendant lamp Aggregato by Mari for Artemide
By Artemide, Enzo Mari
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Aggregato pendant lamp with conic plastic shade and counterweight. Adjustable height from cm 80 to 140. Very good condition: part of the canopy has been repainted in white.
Metal, Lead
