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 IC Lights C/W Ceiling Wall Lamp by Michael Anastassiades
By Michael Anastassiades
Located in Boston, MA
Radiant light, delicate balance: Like the other pieces in his IC Light Series, the IC C/W lamp showcases designer Michael Anastassiades’ love of industrial simplicity as well as his ...
Steel
$475
H 18.9 in W 7.87 in D 7.87 in
2022 Flos IC Light Suspension 1 Pendant by Michael Anastassiades in Chrome
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listed for sale is an IC Lights S1 Suspension Lamp made with chromed steel and blown glass. The lamp was designed by Michael Anastassiades and produced by Flos in Italy. It dates to...
Steel
Pair of Ic S Pendant Lights by Michael Anastassiades for Flos
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The IC S Pendant Light from FLOS is a case study in balance. After watching a video clip of a contact juggler, designer Michael Anastassiades was inspired by the ...
Metal
'Memoir 120 II' Brass Wall Lamp by GamFratesi for Lyfa
By Lyfa, GamFratesi Design Studio
Located in Paris, IDF
Memoir 120 II Wall Lamp signed by GamFratesi for LYFA. DIMENSIONS W 16 x D 12 x H 27.8 cm COLOURS Black or brass Textile wire (white) 600cm Socket: 2 x G9 Max wattage: 28 Watt Ene...
Opaline Glass
'Memoir 120' Brass Wall Lamp by GamFratesi for Lyfa
By GamFratesi Design Studio, Lyfa
Located in Paris, IDF
Memoir 120 Wall Lamp signed by GamFratesi for LYFA. DIMENSIONS W 16 x D 12 x H 17.8 cm COLOURS Black or brass 2,5 m black/white plastic cord with switch Socket: G9 Max wattage: 28...
Metal
Polished Brass Opal Big Bulb Wall Lamp by CTO Lighting
By CTO Lighting
Located in Geneve, CH
Polished brass opal big bulb wall lamp by CTO Lighting Materials: Polished brass with opal glass shade Dimensions: 20 x H 36 cm All our lamps can be wi...
Brass
$824 / item
H 7.29 in W 14.89 in D 13.55 in
'Memoir 120 III' Brass Ceiling Lamp by GamFratesi for Lyfa
By GamFratesi Design Studio, Lyfa
Located in Paris, IDF
Memoir 120 III Ceiling Lamp signed by GamFratesi for LYFA. DIMENSIONS W 37,8 x D 34,4 x H 18,5 cm COLOURS Black or brass Textile wire (white) 600cm Light source: Socket: 3 x G9 ...
Brass
$2,464 / item
H 25.6 in W 3.35 in D 4.06 in
DL440 Wall Lamp in Satin Brass with Two Blown Glass Spheres by Daluce
Located in Geneve, CH
DL440 Wall Lamp in Satin Brass with Two Blown Glass Spheres by Daluce Dimensions: D 10,3 x 8,5 x H 65 cm. Materials: Brass and glass. Available in different finish options: light s...
Brass
$1,886Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 31.5 in Dm 15.75 in
LO019_Modern Brass and Acrylic Pendant Light by Naama Hofman
By Naama Hofman
Located in Berlin, DE
Pendant light object. Beautiful with a clear presence, a light object that can fit in many locations, in residences, restaurants or hotels. Lead time: 8 weeks Dimensions: 120 cm x 4...
Brass
GamFratesi White and Brass 'Yuh' Wall Light for Louis Poulsen
By GamFratesi Design Studio, Louis Poulsen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
GamFratesi White and Brass 'Yuh' Wall Light for Louis Poulsen Designed in 2017 by the Danish-Italian duo Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi, the 'Yuh' is inspired by the classic virtues o...
Brass, Aluminum
Flos IC Lights C/W2 Double Ceiling/Wall Sconce in Brass by Michael Anastassiades
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The latest addition to the IC Lights Collection: New IC Lights Ceiling/Wall Double comes with a double light source providing diffused light.The modern ceiling and wall sconce fixtur...
Brass
Michael Anastassiades IC 2 Modern Chrome & Glass Ceiling & Wall Sconce for FLOS
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
FLOS IC 2 Ceiling and Wall Light in Chrome by Michael Anastassiades Radiant light, delicate balance: Like the other pieces in his IC Light Series, the IC C/...
Steel
Michael Anastassiades IC 2 Modern Black & Glass Ceiling & Wall Sconce for FLOS
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
FLOS IC 2 Ceiling and Wall Light in Black by Michael Anastassiades Radiant light, delicate balance: Like the other pieces in his IC Light Series, the IC C/W...
Steel
Flos IC Lights C/W1 Double Ceiling/Wall Sconce in Brass by Michael Anastassiades
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The latest addition to the IC Lights Collection: New IC Lights Ceiling/Wall Double comes with a double light source providing diffused light.The modern ceiling and wall sconce fixtur...
Steel
Michael Anastassiades Modern Minimalist Brass & Glass S2 Pendant Light for FLOS
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
FLOS IC Lights S2 Pendant Light in Brass by Michael Anastassiades Like the other pieces in his IC Light series, the IC lights S balances designer Michael Anastassiades’ love of indu...
Brass
Flos IC Lights C/W2 Ceiling/Wall Sconce in Burgundy by Michael Anastassiades
By Flos, Michael Anastassiades
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Radiant light, delicate balance: Like the other pieces in his IC Light Series, the IC C/W lamp showcases designer Michael Anastassiades’ love of industrial simplicity as well as his ...
Steel
