Sleek and functional, arched floor lamps are perfect for solving various lighting needs at home. Easy to move, they can be shifted between rooms over time, just like traditional floor lamps, but they have an edge: their curved form and height make them ideal for overhead lighting without the hassle of ceiling installation. Perfect above a dining table, they also work well in living rooms to create a cozy ambience above a sofa or in conversation areas and are often used in public spaces like hotel lobbies or offices.
Today, arched lamps have become a category of their own, with many designers reinterpreting their lines, focusing on colour, materials, or the latest technology. However, it all started with the genius of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, who created the Arco lamp for Flos—the first brilliant hybrid between a floor lamp and a chandelier.
Arco by Flos: The Brilliant Originator of an Entire Category
In the 1960s, brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni were at the height of their careers. Italian design was in its golden age, with small family-run companies—now globally recognized brands—emerging thanks to the economic boom, collaborating with what are now considered the Masters of modern design. These companies sought to bring functional, stylish, and often revolutionary objects into homes.
In 1962, the newly established Flos tasked the Castiglioni brothers with solving a problem: to create a suspended lamp that could light a table without needing ceiling fixtures.
Inspired by everyday objects, particularly the “anonymous objects” they surrounded themselves with in their Milan studio, the Castiglioni brothers found their solution. Observing tall, slender streetlamps designed to cast light over roads, they devised the Arco lamp—a floor lamp with an extended arm that could reach the centre of a table. Now an icon and still one of Flos’s most recognizable pieces, it has no superfluous elements.
Even the elegant marble base is not purely decorative; its heavy weight serves as a counterbalance for the structure. The genius hole allows it to be easily moved despite weighing over 60 kg, simply by inserting a broom handle.
Arched Floor Lamps: The Best Design Options
The versatility of arched floor lamps is showcased through various forms, materials, and styles. Some have become classics, like Foscarini’s Twiggy, which plays with colour, or Luceplan’s Lady Costanza, which transforms the straight lines of the original Costanza into an arc while keeping its signature methacrylate shade. There are playful lamps like Artemide’s Tolomeo Mega or Axolight’s Bul-Bo and highly technological options like Occhio’s Mito Largo.
1. Arco – Flos
The originator of the entire category, the Arco lamp features a sculptural Carrara marble base, a telescopic stainless steel stem, and an adjustable aluminium reflector. Today, it comes equipped with an LED light source. Flos also offers a limited-edition, numbered version, Arco K, with a clear lead-free crystal base, available exclusively online for €10,000.
2. Twiggy – Foscarini
Designed by Marc Sadler in 2006, this thin, lightweight floor lamp became an instant classic. Standing at 220 cm, its flexible stem adjusts thanks to a counterweight system. Supported by a slim metal base, it comes in various colours—including bright red—and a more natural version with a wooden shade.
3. Luceplan – Lady Costanza
Part of the iconic Costanza family designed by Paolo Rizzato, this arched version retains the polycarbonate shade that’s folded and secured to the structure. The telescopic stem adjusts, and the lamp can rotate 360° on its base.
4. Axolight – Bul-Bo
This playful lamp is a piece of design history. Created between 1968 and 1971 for the Olivetti Residential Center in Ivrea by Gabetti e Isola (Roberto Gabetti, Aimaro Isola, Guido Drocco, Luciano Re), its base is a leather sack filled with 25 kg of granules, while the telescopic arm is made of aluminium, allowing the lamp to be moved without breaking.
5. Nemo – Fox
This arched lamp, designed by Bernhard Osann, focuses on purity and simplicity. Made from black steel, it features an easily adjustable cylindrical spot with an optional anti-glare filter. The beam of light is warm and diffused.
6. Artemide – Tolomeo Mega
First introduced in 1987, Tolomeo was designed by architect Michele De Lucchi and engineer Giancarlo Fassina. Known for its aluminium arm with a spring system for height and angle adjustment, the Mega version features a larger fabric shade, ideal for creating a scenic overhead lighting effect.
7. Davide Groppi – Sampei
Designed by Enzo Calabrese and Davide Groppi, this floor lamp takes inspiration from a fishing rod, with a flexible, ultra-tall structure reminiscent of a willow branch swaying in the wind. While not highly “arched,” it’s perfect for replacing ceiling lights or lighting an outdoor lounge area in its outdoor version.
8. Occhio – Mito Largo
Straight out of the future, this cutting-edge floor lamp features a head that appears to float on its structure. The light can be controlled with a hand gesture, adjusting intensity, colour, and upward or downward emission without physical contact.
