Chrome Table Lamp by Franco Albini for Sirrah, Italy, 1970s

Posing as simple design, this beautiful table lamp by Franco Albini reveals its details as you start focusing on the components that make it up. A look at the piece that fixes the chrome hemisphere lampshade to the rectangular cross-section arm reveals two subtle grooves that divide it visually into three equal parts - a feature we wouldn't have thought necessary, but now can't do without. The round perforations at the lampshade's top are as much functional, letting the heat out, as they are aesthetic. The lamp's arm curves away from the lampshade and straightens on its way down. Upon meeting the shade's bottom circumference, the arm mirrors its previous moves and curves symmetrically as it meets the lamp's T-shaped base, made from the same wonderfully-proportioned rectangular cross-section metal. Here, Albini decided that the base needs a few millimeters' worth of breathing space, which he provided via the two circular bits that connect the arm to the base. The lamp is in perfect working order and flaunts a slight surface patina.

Dimensions:

Height: 65 cm

Diameter: 44 cm