Toio floor lamp — Castiglioni for Flos, Italy, 1960s

The Toio is not just any floor lamp: designed in 1962 by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, it repurposes a car headlight to create a vertical light source, mounted on a nickel-plated telescopic rod. The painted steel base, designed in the shape of a crook, houses the transformer, which is directly visible, in a gesture typical of the radical Italian design of the 1960s that refused to conceal technology. This approach has earned the Toio a lasting place in permanent design collections, and pieces from this period are now back in the spotlight among enthusiasts of historical Italian design. The example offered here is in good overall condition: stable structure, intact reflector, visible original wiring and transformer, with no missing parts or visible deformation on the rod or base. Designer: Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. Publisher: Flos. Model: Toio. Origin: Italy. Period: 1960s (created in 1962) Materials: nickel-plated metal, painted steel, glass. Dimensions: H 157 cm × W 21 cm × D 19 cm.