Ironic, creative, joyful, and functional - these are some of the many ways to describe Achille Castiglioni’s contribution to the design world.
Over the course of his career, Castiglioni was known as a prolific furniture, lighting, and product Italian designer. He was born into a family with deep appreciation for the arts. His designs were often characterized by a playful sense of humor and a deep understanding of materials and manufacturing processes.
The Gatto table lamp is an iconic piece of lighting design that has been around for decades. Designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1960, the Gatto lamp has become a timeless classic that still looks fresh and contemporary today.
The lamp consists of a hand-blown glass shade that sits atop a steel base, with an internal opaline white diffuser that softens and distributes the light. The glass shade is shaped like a ball, and has a slightly flattened top and bottom, giving it a unique and recognizable silhouette.
One of Castiglioni's most famous designs is the Arco lamp, which he created in 1962 with his brother, Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. The Arco lamp features a long, curved arm that extends from a marble base, allowing it to provide overhead lighting without the need for ceiling fixtures.
The Sancarlo armchair is a treatise on statics, ergonomics, function, and geometry. Achille Castiglioni has revived the Sanluca concept, which he created with his brother Pier Giacomo a few decades ago. As a result, the seat is divided into a number of cushions that curve to support each part of the body.
Both the armchair and the couch are made up of a basic, linear, curved tubular frame on which a number of upholstered cushions are placed. It was a revolutionary idea when it was first introduced, and it has now been improved with differentiated foam filling, in which the density varies depending on the region of the body to be supported
