Taccia is the table lamp designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1962 following the idea of turning a ceiling lamp upside down. With its distinctive cup-shaped reflector – a true piece of high craftsmanship - and its base reminiscent of an ancient column with refined grooves, Taccia is internationally recognized as one of the most iconic symbols of Italian design. It is as well a true ambassador of Flos’ identity and cultural values. Updated over time with the most advanced LED technology, the lamp is now offered by Flos in a new Matte White version, perfect for the most sophisticated settings.
Achille Castiglioni described Taccia's design in an interview in 1970: 'It is considered the Mercedes of lamps, a symbol of success, perhaps because its base looks like a column. 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 is therefore a coincidence that the base of this lamp recalls a classical column. In reality, the stand was designed to be similar to a radiator and to emphasize its function: the dispersion of the heat emanating from the lamp itself. A function that, today, no longer has any reason for being since the new LED lighting sources do not have overheating issues.
From LED technology to the rediscovery of the original design: the evolution of an icon
Taccia has evolved over the years with the arrival of new versions in the Flos catalogue. In 2010, a version with a remote phosphor LED light source was added to the original model with an incandescent bulb, with the dual aim of guaranteeing not only energy savings and long life, but also perfectly homogeneous, natural-looking lighting that faithfully reproduced color tones.
In 2016, Flos introduced a version of Taccia with a clear plastic bowl reflector, alongside the traditional blown glass model, following the designers' original idea. Thanks to careful research in the archives of the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, it was in fact possible to ascertain that the designers' original idea was to make the reflector in transparent plastic rather than in glass. This choice was later abandoned because the heat emanating from the incandescent light source deformed the material, prompting Flos to opt for blown glass.
Following the original concept of the Castiglioni brothers, Taccia's cup-shaped diffuser was then made of a PMMA that could not be deformed by the light sources, which in the meantime had switched to low heat emission LED technology. State-of-the-art injection moulding techniques helped to achieve a perfect bell shape, maintaining the uniformity of the surface both inside and out. Thanks to high-precision laser cutting techniques, the diffuser's injection points are not visible. The transparency and brilliance of the methacrylate endure over time thanks to the special properties of the material, which does not deteriorate with UV exposure.
In 2016, Taccia Small finally completed the family with a more contained size and new colour options. Taccia Small is perfectly faithful to the traditional model; its reduced format allows it to be chosen for less generous room sizes.
Taccia Special Edition in total white, enhancing the purity of a masterpiece
The history of Taccia continues today, thanks to the collaboration with the Achille Castiglioni Foundation. On the occasion of Euroluce / Milan Design Week 2023, Flos previews Taccia Special Edition in a brand new Matte White finish, ideal for the most elegant environments.
All the components of the lamp, except the glass reflector, appear in a sophisticated yet absolutely contemporary total white look. Matte White has the property of making any form abstract, enhancing the purity of the design and the plasticity of the shapes, ultimately accentuating the iconicity of the lamp.
Once again, Flos reinvents a masterpiece of design with the utmost respect for the original inspiration, updating it according to contemporary taste and needs.