Moonlight Floor Lamp by Ettore Sottsass for Arredoluce, 1970s

Born in Innsbruck, Austria in 1917, architect-designer Ettore Sottsass grew up in Milan. He studied architecture at the Polytechnic of Turin, graduating in 1939. As a member of the Italian army, Sottsass spent most of World War II in a Yugoslavian concentration camp. After the war, he returned to Milan and opened his first studio in 1947. Like most Italian designers in these years, he focused on activities to help the postwar reconstruction efforts, including exhibition design.

In 1958, he began working with Olivetti, for whom he designed multiple landmark objects—including Valentine, the brand’s iconic 1969 red plastic typewriter—and transformed the large, cold electronics and office machinery of the day into playful, accessible objects of desire.

During the 1960s, Sottsass spent time in both India, where he was deeply affected by the country’s vibrant colors and mythologies, and the U.S., where he embraced pop art culture. These influences can be seen in Sottsass's ceramic designs through the rest of his life.

In 1973, he cofounded Global Tools, an experimental design collective, alongside Gaetano Pesce, Alessandro Mendini, and others. During the ’70s, he collaborated with Alessi, Baccarat, and Knoll, designing everyday items like condiment sets and decanters. Other manufacturers that Sottsass designed for include Artemide, Bitossi, O-Luce, Poltronova, Skipper, Stilnovo, and Zanotta.

In 1980, he formed the architecture/design firm Sottsass Associati. In 1981, he founded the Memphis Group, an influential, flamboyant design firm known for its brightly colored post-modern furniture, ceramics, and lighting. He remained with the Group until 1985, at which point he turned his attentions again to architecture. He died at the age of 90.

Italian lighting manufacturer Arredoluce was an important proponent of postwar Italian lighting design and was founded by designer-entrepreneur Angelo Lelli (sometimes written Lelii). Lelli is thought to have established Arredoluce in 1947, the year after his lamp designs were included in the well-regarded Domus magazine.

Although some sources state that Arredoluce existed as early as 1939, it is improbable that the company was able to manufacture during Italy's involvement in World War II, and most sources therefore agree that a postwar date of establishment is more likely.

In addition to owning Arredoluce, Lelli also designed prolifically for his company for many years, and his modernist aesthetic undoubtedly played a role in bringing Italian lighting design to the international stage in the 1950s and 1960s.

Arredoluce lighting spanned floor  and table lamps , sconces , pendants , and ceiling lights , many of which were designed by Lelli himself. Other iconic designers who worked with Arredoluce included Franco Albini, Achille and Pier Castiglioni, Vico Magistretti, Gio Ponti, Ettore Sottsass, Mario Tedeschi, and Nanda Vigo. Whereas many Arredoluce chandeliers and pendants are made from brass and feature opaline glass shades, the floor lamps and table lamps tend to be more minimalist in style, often featuring adjustable shades and articulated arms.

Perhaps Lelli’s best known design for Arredoluce is the Model 12128 "Triennale", a three-armed floor lamp (1947, according to most Italian sources, or 1951-53 from other sources) exhibited at a postwar Triennale. The design was also licensed in the United States by Richards-Morgenthau for the Raymor Corporation.

Lelli continued to design and run Arredoluce until its closure in 1979. Today, Arredoluce’s designs are well-received on the vintage market, many of which are highly-sought after by Italian design enthusiasts and lighting collectors alike.