Named Taccia, the piece was put into production by Italian brand Flos in 1962. In a 1970 interview, Achille deemed it “the Mercedes of lamps,” but not for its apparent opulence. Rather, he explained, “we certainly did not have prestige in mind when we designed it; we just wanted to create a cooling surface that would disperse heat.” It was utilitarian indeed: “You can put it everywhere—in a kitchen, on a desk, or in a bathroom,” says Giovanna Castiglioni, Achille’s daughter, who grew up with a Taccia in the living room.
Over the decades, the lamp proved its versatility, showing up in the iconic postmodern Rome apartment of architects Patrizio Paris and Patrizia Pietrogrande, on a sleek yacht by Joanne de Guardiola, and flanking the sofa in fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière’s superchic Paris pad. In 2016, thanks to the reduced heat emission of LED lights, Flos launched a version like the Castiglioni brothers originally envisioned—in plastic. This year they introduced matte white—now available alongside the typical black, silver, and bronze.