Floor lamp, lacquered steel and brass, marble, teak, Italy, 1950s

This 1950s Italian floor lamp challenges traditional ideas on how lighting and everyday objects should look. Rising from a circular marble base, slender red-lacquered steel rods stretch vertically at various heights. At mid-height, a warm teak ring punctuates the structure that doubles as a tabletop with rods diverging in different directions. Above, the rods continue, culminating in a clustered bouquet of satin glass shades. Their frosted translucency softens the light, creating a diffuse, ambient glow. The contrast of materials - glossy red steel, matte glass, warm teak, and cool marble - anchors the piece in the material richness characteristic of postwar Italian design. The lamp reminds of the work of the acclaimed Italian lighting company Stilnovo.