Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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.
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Steel
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Steel
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Metal
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Metal, Sheet Metal
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Glass
1660s German Mid-Century Modern Antique Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Aluminum
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Metal
1880s English Antique Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Bamboo, Lacquer
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Metal
Mid-20th Century North American Federal Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Mahogany
1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Walnut
20th Century English Chinoiserie Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Achille Castiglioni Shelves
Aluminum