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A custom lighting installation at Rhode Island School of Design by Flos

Philippe Starck. Patricia Urquiola. Formafantasma. Piero Lissoni. Michael Anastassiades. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. The list of recent Flos collaborators — to name just a few — is a who’s who of the world’s most acclaimed contemporary designers. Since its founding in 1962, the storied Italian brand has emerged as a global leader in lighting, evolving from its roots in decorative installations to offer full-scale architectural solutions and custom designs, recently expanding its selection with a characteristically elegant outdoor collection.

Today, the Flos portfolio is a testament to technical innovation and design excellence. At Seattle’s Fulcrum coffee, for example, a deft integration of both architectural and decorative lighting sets the ambiance for a simple yet sophisticated space. While Flos’ streamlined Running Magnet fixtures frame the space with functional — and tastefully understated — suspended overhead lighting, Michael Anastassiades’ Arrangements pendant lights are a sculptural centrepiece.

Flos’ Running Magnet and Arrangements collections add to the ambiance at Seattle’s Fulcrum Coffee. PHOTO: Matthew Mornick

A similarly refined interplay of architectural and decorative lighting elevates Miami’s popular Perl Restaurant, where the geometric tracks of Flos’ Infra-Structure Episode 2 and Tracking Magnet are complemented by the artisanal, hand-blown presence of Konstantin Grcic’s Noctambule, as well as Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s timeless Taccia table lamps.

Flos’ Infra-Structure Episode 2 and Noctambule collections illuminate Miami’s Perl Restaurant. PHOTO: Zina Dornbusch

Designed by Philip Johnson, the Ridgefield, Connecticut, headquarters and showroom for luxury lifestyle brand Bassam Fellows has become another contemporary showcase. The meticulously restored building pairs Johnson’s rigorously unencumbered design with a marquee lighting program. Carefully integrated Running Magnet architectural fixtures blend with the building’s clean, modernist lines, while decorative fixtures like Bellhop, Captain Flint, Superloon, Taccia, Gatto and Snoopy accent the rooms.

Flos’ Running Magnet architectural fixtures and Superloon Floor Lamp complement contemporary furnishings at the Bassam Fellows showroom. PHOTO: Federica Carlet

Alongside a wealth of modern architectural and decorative classics, the breadth of possibilities is amplified by Flos custom lighting. Based in New York City, Flos Custom by Lukas Lighting brings bespoke design visions to life. At Eero Saarinen’s iconic — and recently restored — TWA Terminal, a mesmerizing array of dish-shaped luminaires by Flos Custom draws the eye to the ballroom’s ceilings, bringing an appropriately unique character to the one-of-a-kind space.

A custom lighting installation at the TWA Terminal ballroom.

The famed Rhode Island School of Design is another showcase of custom craft. Here, hand-rolled, laser-cut aluminum pendant fixtures unfold in sinuous curves.⁠⁠  The oblong performance-grade decorative pieces that illuminate the entire space are both a testament to design ingenuity and an impressive feat of Flos Custom engineering.

A custom lighting installation at Rhode Island School of Design by Flos
A custom lighting installation at Rhode Island School of Design. PHOTO: Bruce Damont

As custom, architectural and decorative lighting continues to push the technical and aesthetic envelope, a bold new venture into outdoor fixtures is translating the Flos philosophy to new settings. The inaugural outdoor collection includes the elegant, organic lines of Patricia Urquiola’s Caule as well as Philippe Starck’s fully mobile In Vitro Unplugged — both launched this year. Featuring unparalleled waterproofing and weather-ready performance, the designs are also characterized by purity of expression and poetic forms. In other words, they’re signature Flos.

Caule by Patricia Urquiola.
In Vitro Unplugged by Philippe Starck.

This content was published by Azure on behalf of Flos.

Flos Embraces Bold New Directions in Lighting

Architectural solutions, custom designs and a showpiece new outdoor collection expand the company’s design-driven portfolio.

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