Flos is an Italian company that manufactures exclusive lamps in contemporary and industrial design. Established in 1962 by brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, that very year, the company produced many of today’s classic designer lamps, still in production today.

The common denominator of product design is the attention to detail and innovative technology that go into the design, and the fact that the design is as simple as it is exclusive. This also provides the opportunity to discover new talents in the world of design. Flos collaborates with many of today’s leading designers and continues to produce innovative, functional and well-designed lamps.

Modern Italian lamps

Designers it collaborates with include Philippe Starck, Tobia Scarpa, Gino Sarfatti, Patricia Urquiola and Marcel Wanders. Gino Sarfatti designed the 2097 lamp, a large, magnificent chandelier that remains popular today. The 2097 is made of chrome or brass and is available with 30 or 50 light sources. The classic Arco lamp was designed by Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962, a stately floor lamp with a white Carrara marble base and a swivel lamp for great flexibility. In 1968, Flos opened its first store in Milan. They won many awards for their designer lamps, and are exhibited at influential exhibitions and design museums around the world. In 1971, Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzú designed the Parentesi lamp, a revolutionary creation consisting of a lamp that can be moved vertically on a steel pole, deployed from floor to ceiling. For this design, it received the 1979 Italian Compasso d’Oro design prize. Flos continues to design popular, useful and beautifully designed lamps today. In 2013, brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec designed the Aim pendant luminaire, a lamp with a long cord to easily direct light where it is needed most. The same year saw the launch of the acclaimed String Lights range, designed by Michael Anastassiades. The range consists of lampshades with long cords where the cord becomes part of the architecture of the lamp. Anastassiades also designed the IC range, inspired by juggler Tony Duncan’s ability to balance balls on his arms.