The Flos story — from Castiglioni to Anastassiades
Sixty years of Milanese lighting — from the 1962 Arco to today's architectural line.
In 1962, in Merano, two entrepreneurs — Dino Gavina and Cesare Cassina — invited the Castiglioni brothers to make "real Italian light." Arco, Toio and Taccia followed: objects that redefined what a lamp could be.
Arco
The idea came from London street lamps. The brief: light a table without a ceiling fixture. The answer: a vast stainless-steel arc anchored by a 65 kg block of Carrara marble. The hole in the marble isn't decorative — it's a handle for two people with a broomstick. Arco sits in every modern design museum and is still made in the same Bovezzo factory.
The Starck era
In the 1990s, Philippe Starck moved Flos toward the mass market: Miss Sissi (1990), Romeo Moon (1996), Bibendum. These lamps shaped late-century domestic aesthetics.
Today — Anastassiades and Urquiola
From the 2010s, Flos works systematically with minimalists. Michael Anastassiades makes geometric objects — IC, String, Captain Flint. Patricia Urquiola brings a softer hand — Gaku, Skynest. In parallel, Flos develops an architectural line with DALI/DMX and KNX integration.
Why we work with Flos
Made in Italy. All electrics in Bovezzo. Five-year warranty. Dimming across every protocol. DALI-2 and Casambi out of the box. A rare combination at this level.