Italian Aluminium Table Lamp by Franco Albini for Arredoluce, 1970s

Born near Milan in 1905, Franco Albini was an Italian architect, urban planner, and furniture designer active between the 1930s and the 1960s. He studied architecture at Milan’s famous Politecnico, apprenticed under master architect-designer Gio Ponti, and played a key role in formulating the Rationalist movement in Italy prior to World War II.

Throughout the post-war era, Albini continued to create furniture and architecture aimed at purity of expression through modularity and affordable materials. While his work tends toward formal reduction, it also maintains a warmth and charm that stems from his enduring respect for context and tradition.

Albini worked with various mid-century manufacturers during his lifetime, including Cassina, Arflex, Poggi, Arteluce, Brionvega, and Knoll, and many of his designs are still in production. He received multiple awards for his work, including three prestigious Compasso d’Oro Awards.

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.