Born in Milan in the 1910s, brothers Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni found their love of design early on. After graduating from Milan's famed Politecnico, the brothers joined the design studio of their eldest brother, Livio. Working on projects ranging from furniture and lighting to industrial and architectural design, they collaborated with Italian design giants like Gio Ponti and famed design houses like Alessi, Bernini and Zanotta.

Inspired by found items and curious shapes, the brothers wanted to create objects that were truly unique, not mass-produced. They designed minimalistic pieces elegant in their simplicity, with exquisite craftsmanship and surprising functionality in every detail.

Always seeing design from a unique perspective, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni had the idea to design a table lamp with indirect lighting that would that looked like a ceiling lamp turned upside down. Originally, they wanted to use transparent plastic for the bowl that holds the reflector. But when the plastic heated up from the light source, it flattened out.

To solve this problem, they decided to use glass. Producing the Murano glass bowl for Taccia is a exacting, painstaking process still in use today. Artisans hand-blow the glass using the same underground mold used for the original lamp. After cooling, the glass is manually cut to create the bowl shape. Each handmade bowl is unique, with outstanding transparency and quality. The blown glass diffuser rests on the base, allowing it to tilt freely. Made of matte white lacquered aluminum, the reflector closes the glass hemisphere, dispersing gentle, indirect light.

Reminiscent of a column, the aluminum base of the Taccia Table Lamp is more than just a design choice. It works as a cooling element for the intense heat generated by the light source at the base of the lamp.

A lacquered anti-heat ring with a finned contour surrounds the base, promoting efficient air circulation and cooling. Inspired by an engine, the gear-shaped ring prevents light from showing through the base and protects the glass diffuser from any potential hot spots on the base. The increased surface volume dissipates the heat for a safer, longer-lasting lamp. The base also makes the lamp easier to grip and move.

Designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1958 and 1959, the Taccia Table Lamp was showcased at the Institute of Design in Chicago in March of the same year. FLOS started selling the Taccia Table Lamp in 1962.

FLOS updated the Taccia Floor Lamp to take an LED bulb in 2010, a more energy-efficient solution that also eliminated any potential overheating issues. In 2016, FLOS introduced a very durable, lighter and more affordable version of the lamp with a diffuser made of PMMA instead of glass in line with the designers' original intentions. A smaller version, Taccia Small, was also released to provide lighting in more compact spaces. Both Taccia and Taccia Small are available with matt white or black as well as anodized silver or bronze bases.