Some design lamps are timeless classics, beloved for their aesthetics and functionality. Others are hidden gems created by design masters but still waiting to be discovered. These include sketches and prototypes produced years after conception or designs removed from catalogues for various reasons. Recently, numerous vintage lamps have been rediscovered and reintroduced, bringing fresh energy to the design landscape.
From a fresh colour palette making designs more contemporary to new additions to existing collections, or a chandelier originally crafted as a bespoke piece for a private residence, here are five vintage lamps that perfectly embody the concept of authored vintage designs.
iGuzzini, Cespuglio
Design Ennio Lucini, 1969
Created as a collector’s item at the intersection of art and design, Cespuglio was born to break conventions. Ironic, provocative, and irreverent, it’s a pop-inspired rebellion against the pursuit of visual standardization.
Crafted with acrylic sheets and inspired by Giacomo Balla’s interlocking cardboard models of plants, flowers, and stars, as well as Gino Marotta’s Artificial Forest exhibited at Galleria L’Arieta in 1965, this avant-garde fluorescent yellow lamp went out of production in 1975.
Now part of iGuzzini’s Echoes catalogue of historical reissues, Cespuglio has been updated with LED technology and features recyclable PMMA leaves.
Nemo, LBB01
Design Lina Bo Bardi, 1950
This vintage pendant lamp was designed by the architect for her iconic Casa de Vidro in São Paulo, the epitome of Brazilian modernism. Its style reflects the house’s design: simple geometry and extreme functionality. With a telescopic stem and 360° adjustable black-painted aluminium diffusers, it provides direct and indirect light, while its interior finish is matte white.
Martinelli Luce, Pipistrello Pop
Design Gae Aulenti, 1965
Created for the Olivetti showroom in Paris, the Pipistrello blends the sensuous forms of Art Nouveau with the strict rigour of Rationalism. Its white opalescent glass dome evokes the wingspan of a bat, while its aluminium-painted base conceals a telescopic steel tube that can extend its height by up to 20 cm
Traditionally available in neutral, elegant colours, the new version introduces a vibrant, energizing yellow. Gae Aulenti’s signature, typically engraved subtly on the upper part of the telescope, is prominently displayed on a glossy black plaque on the base cone of this edition, along with a serial number, making it a collector’s piece for design aficionados.
Flos, 2097
Design Gino Sarfatti, 1958
Arguably the most iconic modern chandelier, this design reimagines the luxury of Venetian arm chandeliers with a minimalist twist. Its structure consists of a central steel tube with radial brass arms, each holding a bulb at the tip.
Nowadays the 2097 has been updated with a matte white finish, giving this vintage pendant lamp a sleek, contemporary appeal.
Nemo, Lorosae
Design Alvaro Siza
The new Lorosae Battery is a rechargeable table lamp made of translucent coloured glass. Its design originated from the hanging lights the architect created in 1999 for his solo exhibition at the Palladian Basilica in Venice.
