How Flos reinvisioned a lighting design legend

How ingenious a design really is can often be seen in the copyists who fail at it. The Arco floor lamp is such a masterpiece. To this day, the width of the arch and the elegance of the simple marble base are unsurpassed. Due to its minimalist form and straightforward functionality, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s 1962 design is rightly considered a timeless classic – one that Italian manufacturer Flos has been producing for 60 years.

On the occasion of its round anniversary, Flos now reveals the heart of the standing pendant lamp – which doesn’t make the creation of copies any easier either. On the contrary: with the help of a special process that was unattainable 60 years ago, Flos has replaced the marble with crystal. In a special edition, limited to 2022 pieces, the lamp’s iconic base thus now appears completely transparent.

Marble was not the designers' preferred material choice when the lamp was first created. In order to give its overall construction reliable stability, the Castiglioni brothers initially cast the lamp’s base from concrete. But in order to achieve the required weight of 65 kilograms, the shape turned out to be far too space-consuming. Although object functionality was always a high priority for the Castiglionis, they would never compromise on a piece’s design.

Thanks to the marble swap, the brothers were able to work in a much more space-saving way and achieve precisely the aesthetics that make Arco so unique. Even though the high-quality Carrara marble was initially a practical choice, it embedded the design with a luxurious, timeless touch that Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni were well aware of.

The famous hole in the marble block, which serves to facilitate transport with a broomstick, arose from equally practical considerations. What’s more, the rounded base edges are intended to prevent accidental injury and Arco, which freed future dining table lamps of the responsibility to get their power supply from the ceiling, stands tall and unimpeded due to its street lamp inspiration.

Arco K 2022 Limited Edition, with its lead-free crystal glass, brings these typical base and light-from-above features into focus in a completely new way. In addition, the transparent material fulfils all the conditions that were a prerequisite for the sophisticated re-design: it has a dense inherent weight to maintain the perfect shape of the original and it is recyclable, adding a much-needed sustainability element.

With specially developed machines, Flos has succeeded in processing the crystal in one piece into a stable block. The biggest production challenges were translating the crystal glass, which is otherwise used for optical prisms in laboratories or for laser generators, into larger scales without losing its characteristic precision.

The result, which emphasises the visionary interplay of simplicity and perfection, is literally crystal clear. Indeed, the contrast between the crystal and marble materials enhances the iconic value of the early design. All other parts of the original, from the extendable shaft made of satin-finished stainless steel to the height-adjustable reflector made of polished and zapon-lacquered cast aluminium, remain unchanged.

The design’s only addition was a spiral that was placed around the mounting pin to prevent scratches in the inner glass. A black mat, which remains invisible due to the reflections in the block, protects the base from below. Also included with the transport is a rolling pin with a scratch-resistant coating to prevent possible damage that a broomstick could cause to this model.

Arco K 2022 Limited Edition is born from experience, traditional craftsmanship and sophisticated technology that makes imitation sheer impossible. But just in case someone tries, Flos has developed an encrypted NFC tracking system to identify each piece in the limited run – continuing the priceless design history that started over 50 years ago with the Castiglionis and the Arco original.

© Architonic