Milanese industrial designer-architects Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1918–2002; 1913-68) created some of the most iconic furniture designs in the world, particularly those that originated in the realm of mid-century modern lighting.
In the late 1930s, after graduating from the acclaimed Polytechnic University of Milan, Pier Giacomo opened a design studio with his brother Livio and likeminded architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni. Achille, also a graduate of Milan Polytechnic, joined the group after completing his studies in 1944. The era’s architects were encountering difficulty in their attempts to secure building commissions, so the group focused on designing practical everyday objects such as the Model 547, a tabletop radio for Phonola that was encased in Bakelite.
The Castiglioni brothers produced wildly popular and innovative designs throughout the 20th century. While Livio departed the practice in 1952 to pursue lighting design and sound technology on his own, Pier Giacomo and Achille would continue to collaborate on a wealth of projects in the ensuing years.
Vintage furniture collectors may be familiar with Livio and Italian designer Gianfranco Frattini’s serpent-like Boalum lamp, while Achille’s Taraxacum hanging lamp — created for FLOS with sprayed plastic polymers originally intended for military use — as well as the Arco, Snoopy and Toio lamps, which were the result of the collaboration between Pier Giacomo and Achille, are milestones in modernist lighting design.
Also for FLOS, Pier Giacomo and Achille created a series of metal frames that, wrapped in the polymer, became floor lamps (Gatto) or pendant lights (Viscontea and Taraxacum), all released in 1960. The Gatto floor lamp takes its name from the Italian word for “cat” and the inspiration for its aesthetic from lighting that George Nelson developed for legendary American furniture manufacturer Howard Miller during the 1940s. Around the same time, the designer Tobia Scarpa (son of the famed Italian architect Carlo Scarpa and one-half of the widely revered postmodern husband-and-wife design duo Afra and Tobia Scarpa) created a floor lamp called Fantasma (1961) using the polymers technique. FLOS continues to make the Castiglionis’ innovative pieces today.
In addition to their provocative lighting works, Pier Giacomo and Achille also created stereo systems, decorative objects, seating, tables and other items for the likes of Brionvega, Alessi, Zanotta, Kartell and more.
Find vintage Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni floor lamps, table lamps, pendants, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Italian mid-century modern grey wood folding chair Tric by Castiglioni, 1960s
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern grey wooden folding chair Tric by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, 1960s Folding chair mod. Tric entirely in wood painted in light grey. The seat and ...
Wood
Italian mid-century modern black folding chair Tric Castiglioni BBB, 1960s
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, BBB Italia
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern black folding chair Tric Castiglioni BBB, 1960s Folding chair mod. Tric entirely in black painted wood. The seat and backrest are rounded. The legs are rec...
Metal
Italian modern chairs Plia by Giancarlo Piretti for Anonima Castelli, 1970s
By Giancarlo Piretti, Anonima Castelli
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern chairs Plia by Giancarlo Piretti for Anonima Castelli, 1970s Pair of folding chairs model Plia with square seat and rectangular backrest, in transparent ABS plastic. T...
Steel
Italian mid-century modern Yellow wood folding chair Tric by Castiglioni, 1960s
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century modern Yellow wood folding chair Tric by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, 1960s Folding chair mod. Tric entirely made of wood painted in bright yellow. The ...
Wood
Italian modern Wood folding chair Morettina by Ettore Moretti for Zanotta, 1970s
By Zanotta
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern Wood folding chair Morettina by Ettore Moretti for Zanotta, 1970s Folding chair mod. Morettina in black painted wood. The backrest and seat is made up of a series of s...
Wood
Italian modern chairs Castiglia by Achille Castiglioni for Zanotta, 1960s
By Zanotta, Achille Castiglioni
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern chairs Castiglia by Achille Castiglioni for Zanotta, 1960s Set of four Castiglia model chairs, featuring a tubular steel frame with continuous, rounded lines. The stru...
Steel, Metal
"Tric" Chair Design Achille & Piergiacomo Castiglioni for BBB Emmebonacina, 1965
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, BBB Bonacchina
Located in taranto, IT
"Tric" model folding chair, design achille and piergiacomo castiglioni for BBB emmebonacina, 1965 Solid wood structure with molded plywood elements It measures 82 cm in height,...
Wood
“Tric” folding chair by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for BBB, Italy
By Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Antwerp, BE
“Tric" folding chair designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglione for BBB Emmebonacina in Italy, 1965. Folding chair with a solid wooden structure. The back and seat consist of m...
Wood
Mid-Century Italian Space Age Plia Folding Chair by Giancarlo Piretti, 1960s
By Giancarlo Piretti
Located in Hamburg, DE
Plia folding chair by Castelli based on a design by Giancarlo Piretti from the 60s. Here in a rare and early version in transparent yellow. This design classic is still in productio...
Metal
Tric folding chairs by Achille and Piergiacomo Castiglioni for BBB Emmebonacina.
By BBB Bonacchina, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in Athens, Attiki
Black glossy polycarbonate folding chairs, model ‘Tric’ by Achille and Piergiacomo Castiglioni for BBB Emmebonacina. Excellent condition, unused, in their original boxes.
Plastic, Carbon Fiber
Tric Folding Chairs by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Bernini, 1960s
By Bernini, Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Located in bari, IT
The Tric folding chair was designed in 1965 by brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni as a modern reinterpretation of the classic Thonet folding chair. With its rounded backre...
Beech
Plia Lucite Folding Chair by G. Piretti for Castelli Italy
By Anonima Castelli, Giancarlo Piretti
Located in Vienna, AT
This iconic Italian Mid-Century Modern folding chair in lucite and aluminum was designed by Giancarlo Piretti 1967 for Anonima Castelli, Italy. The Plia folding chair is a real desig...
Aluminum
Make anyplace your happy place with Italian furniture at its subversive best.
Common wisdom used to declare the kitchen the hub of the house. These days, the living room seems to have assumed the role of domestic focal point. Unlike the Victorian parlor, stiffly furnished and reserved for guests, today’s living room is a central place for reading, conversation and, well, living, with furnishings that lend themselves to both casual lounging and elegant entertaining.
