Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Milanese designer and architect Achille Castiglioni sought to inject personality into all of his work, and found deep inspiration in everyday objects. A legend of Italian mid-century modernism, he created iconic, universally loved table lamps, chairs and other lighting and furniture with his likeminded brothers during the postwar years.
There was the Snoopy lamp, which brings to mind the unmistakable Peanuts character, while the shape of a common street lamp inspired the design behind the Arco floor lamp. Elsewhere, the Toio floor lamp — a provocative fixture in any living room — was made with automotive parts as well as run-of-the-mill recreational gear.
Castiglioni studied the classics at Liceo Classico Giuseppe Parini, art at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and finally architecture and design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. After graduating in 1944, Castiglioni began working with his brothers Pier Giacomo and Livio at the studio they cofounded with classmate Luigi Caccia Dominioni.
Livio left to pursue lighting design and sound technology, leaving Achille and Pier Giacomo to continue to collaborate on various projects. One such design was the iconic Taraxacum hanging lamp for FLOS which featured a resin “cocoon” created with sprayed plastic polymers that protects its steel core and allows for the diffusion of light.
Castiglioni won Italy’s highest award for industrial design — the Compasso d’Oro — seven times, and the Museum of Modern Art was home to his first individual retrospective in the United States. Castiglioni later taught at the Polytechnic University of Turin and at Polytechnic in Milan.
Castiglioni’s designs remain timeless. Some of them can be found in Tokyo’s Living Design Center Ozone, the Triennale di Milano and the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center.
Find vintage Achille Castiglioni lighting, seating, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Marble
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Steel
Late 20th Century Italian Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Brass
2010s Italian Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Carrara Marble
2010s Portuguese Art Deco Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Brass
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s American Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Shell
2010s Portuguese Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Marble, Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Marble, Metal
Late 20th Century Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Wicker
2010s North American Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Shell
2010s Pakistani Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Onyx
2010s Italian Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Italian Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Steel
1980s Italian Organic Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Decorative Objects
Metal