Icons of design are reborn, usually without varying their forms, but with new colors and technological updates capable of conveying historic items from the past into the future. For Stilnovo reissuing signature models that have helped to write the history of lighting is a true philosophy. For other companies, like Artemide, Martinelli Luce, Oluce and iGuzzini, it is an opportunity to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or just to ‘bring to light’ important pieces from the historical archives.
Minibox by Stilnovo (opening image) began in 1981 with a project by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni. A lamp that reminds us of the equipment used by miners, and even today has some interesting features, such as the recessed optical grouping to reduce glare, invented at a time when light sources were more problematic than they are today. Thanks to its dimmer the lamp offers optimal visual comfort and soft, precise light emission. Composed of a metal shell and a comfortable grip, it comes with a magnetic attachment of the head for adjustment of the direction, making it ideal for any context. The five finishes provided for the lamp (white, black, coffee, green and red) make it a pop object.
Artemide celebrates the 50th anniversary of Tizio by Richard Sapper, with a new edition of the iconic table lamp. Created 50 years ago and still a contemporary product, thanks to updating of the low-tension halogen source with a built-in LED. Sapper’s favorite color was clearly black, because “it is a color that always works when placed in contrast with other colors and spaces.” But to accentuate dynamic elements, Sapper used the color red, as in the joints of Tizio. For this birthday, Artemide presents a completely red special edition, drawing attention to the symbolic accent in Sapper’s design, while paying tribute to the color of the brand.
Yellow is the color chosen by Martinelli Luce to dress up Ruspa. Ten years have passed since the death of the architect Gae Aulenti, who created this sculptural lamp in 1968; due to the form of its arm and head, it clearly suggests the machinery cited in its name (bulldozer). The yellow color chosen for the reissue makes this reference even more obvious. The new hue can be applied to the version with four arms and the version with one arm.
For the 60th anniversary of Acrilica, Oluce presents an exclusive version with a base in Portoro marble. Designed in 1962 by Joe and Franco Colombo, the Acrilica lamp was initially named 281. The number comes from the object’s main material: 281 was made with an element in methacrylate, with a curvature that would allow the light from a bulb contained in the base to rise along the transparent body and reach the end, which functions as a diffuser.
In a tribute to a timeless design, iGuzzini has reissued Polsino, first created in 1968 by Gio Ponti. It is a table lamp capable of narrating the avant-garde of icons of the past, and the beauty of those of the future. Polsino, with a handle in polished aluminium, is composed of two thermoformed shells mounted in a staggered arrangement on the same axis, thanks to aluminium joints that seem like cufflinks. The lamp embodies the idea of accessible design, transportable and suitable for any context.
