Design | Achille Castiglioni

Last week I was invited to attended another design talk held at Space, Fortitude Valley.

Space
10 James, Street Fortitude Valley

Space hold a series of design talks each year and this one was by far the most anticipated and popular to date. It was presented by the Giovanna, daughter of world renowned architect and designer Achille Castiglioni.

Whilst there may be a few people that do not know the name Achille Castiglioni, I would almost guarantee that most would recognise his design work.  Many of his designs are still in production today and I think they will continue to be produced for many many years to come yet. I love the simplistic functional approach of his works and they almost always are designed with a touch of humour.

The most recognised of his pieces is probably the Arco Floor Lamp. This lamp was designed by Archille and Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962.

Another series designed in1960 with many replications on the market along with the original, is the Taraxacum series of lamps, again designed by Archille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.

The fibre that forms these lamps is known as cocoon, and was initially used by the U.S. army to preserve unused wartime transports.  It takes 16 days to complete just one of these lamps as they are individually made and spun from hand.

It was certainly a privilege to hear about the life and works of Archille and if you are heading to Milan anytime soon, a tour of his private studio museum which is run by Giovanna should definitely be on your list. They are run from Tuesday through Sunday. Or head into Space and check out his work!

 

brisbane à la mode!