Flos

In 1962 Dino Gavina and Cesare Cassina opened their own workshop to produce modern lamps with innovative techniques and materials, working in collaboration with Arturo Eisenkeil, an important American manufacturertrader of a new polyamide material. Right from the start, Flos began working with the word’s most famous and successful interior designers, such as  Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Tobia Scarpa and from 1964 Sergio Gandini, who became first its CEO, then its President. High quality, futuristic design and new materials are the key factors that have led to the success of Flos lighting designs.

The turning point for Flos came with the revolutionary materials used to create their lamps. The first innovation was the use of the cocoon, a highly plastic material developed in the USA and used principally for packaging. Their search for innovation continued in the 1970’s, when they took over Arteluce, a well-established Italian lighting systems company founded in 1936 by Gino Scarfati. Various models of lamp created by the previous designer were adopted by the new market leader, Flos.

Flos’ history is full of important breakthroughs – a whole catalog of icons that have expanded our choice of lighting systems. These include Parentesi, the swing lamp designed in 1971 by Achille Castiglioni and Pio Manzù, whose vertical movement is effected by a steel tube sliding along a cable between the floor and the core of the lamp. The Castiglioni brothers also invented Arco, the innovative standard lamp designed in 1962 but still in vogue today. From the beautiful marble base a stainless steel adjustable arc rises to support the bulb. A real masterpiece of interior design.

Another reveolutionary engineering invention was Archimoon. A family of lamps, which includes the famous soft table lamp designed by Philippe Starck and notable for its use of a double-diffuser. Starck also created the Romeo series, including the Romeo Moon and Romeo Babe, suspension lamps with different frames, Miss Sissi, the small, colored icon of the table lighting system, inspired by the classical abat-jour (diffused reflector) and the more modern and plain Ktribe series.

Among  the suspension lamps is the Skygarden created by Marcel Wanders, using natural chalk as a new material to create lighting solutions. The soft effect of the light makes it a real icon. There are many other models in the catalog, created by such designers as Gino Sarfatti, Rodolfo Dordoni, Antonio Citterio snd Joris Laarman – Flos is always looking for new ways to brighten our lives!

Yes, our lives, not just our homes. Flos lighting systems don’t stop at the indoor fixtures, but include ranges for outdoor lighting, as well as special projects that have brought revolutionary Flos interior and outdoor lighting to hotels, museums, offices, retail outlets and even religious buildings.

During 50 years in business, the Italian company has built a true interior and outdoor lighting empire, which has resulted in many accolades, including several “Golden Compass” prizes for their innovative creations. Now the world famous leader in lighting systems has reached an annual turnover of about 130 million Euros, thanks also to its merger with Antares, the Spanish giant of the lighting industry, acquired in 2005. Flos’ luxurious modern creations now illuminate every corner of the world.