FLOS

Avant-Garde, Experimental Lighting

Since 1962, FLOS has sought to illuminate the human experience by offering finely crafted lighting pieces created by the world’s most beloved artists. The beginnings of FLOS (“flower” in Latin) blossomed from a brilliant idea: to create objects, starting with a light bulb, that would change our way of life.

Italian entrepreneur Dino Gavina had already been creating furniture alongside design masters Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Afra and Tobia Scarpa at the Eisenkeil manufacturing facility in Merano when he decided to set his sights on lamps. Using the same technology used for the Cocoon lamp — conceived in the USA and tested at Eisenkeil — the Castiglioni brothers and the Scarpa duo began creating lamps such as Taraxacum and Fantasma.

In 1972, the “Italy The New Domestic Landscape” show at MoMA was a phenomenon of unprecedented popularity celebrating Italian culture. FLOS was featured in the show with several pieces, which consolidated the brand as an international avant-garde company. From that moment, the firm’s development and its popularity went hand-in-hand.

Today, FLOS stands at the meeting point of art and design, of craftsmanship and industry, of limited editions and large scale manufacturing, and of the individual and the collective imagination. It is a unique space, one in which FLOS works best.