Pendant lamps are an archetype, their simplest form familiar to almost everyone. They illuminate without taking floor space, working efficiently while ranging from quietly functional to striking focal points.
In lighting design, aesthetic exploration has always moved alongside technological progress. The twentieth century saw designers experiment with form, material, and scale, turning pendant lamps into some of the most recognisable pieces in modern interiors. This selection follows the classics of design history, tracing pendant lamps that have shaped the way light is imagined and experienced.
Beehive, Alvar Aalto
The first hanging lamp we will discuss is the A331, also known as the Beehive. Designed in 1953, it is an icon of Finnish design and one of the most successful lighting projects by Alvar Aalto and his company Artek. Featuring horizontal metal rings made of aluminum and brass, it diffuses a warm and uniform light without glare. Aalto created this lamp to combine aesthetics and functionality, offering cozy illumination while maximizing his design, technical, and aesthetic intelligence. The result is a project that, nearly a century after its launch, remains a classic of Scandinavian design and an important object in the history of European design.
PH5, Poul Henningsen
The PH5 by Poul Henningsen, designed in 1958, is an icon of Danish design. Characterized by a multi-shade system, it diffuses light evenly without glare. Henningsen’s approach in all his lighting projects was technical, not aesthetic, as one might easily think given the beauty of the object. Henningsen designed the PH5 to balance direct and indirect light, improving well-being through comfortable illumination, particularly considering life in Nordic countries, where natural light can be scarce for many months. The lamp has enjoyed and continues to enjoy tremendous success. It has been updated over time, including the PH5 Mini version and new colors. The PH5 is a great classic of modern Scandinavian design and a long seller from the renowned Danish manufacturer Louis Poulsen.
2097, Gino Sarfatti
The 2097 Lamp by Gino Sarfatti for Flos, designed in 1958, is one of the most modern and distinctive lamps in the history of Italian design. Characterized by a central structure in chrome or brass, from which numerous arms extend, each ending in a light socket, it combines an industrial aesthetic with the elegance of classic forms. The great Gino Sarfatti designed the 2097 to create a diffuse and harmonious light, perfect for large spaces. Each arm is fitted with an exposed light bulb, contributing to the lamp’s unmistakable and timeless look. The 2097 is still one of Flos’s best sellers and is collected by the best design museums and around the world for its historical significance.
PH Artichoke, Poul Henningsen
The PH Artichoke lamp by Poul Henningsen, designed in 1958, is one of the most famous hanging lamps in design history. Its impressive, sculptural structure consists of 72 leaves arranged in 12 rows, creating a soft and diffuse illumination. Made from premium materials like stainless steel, copper, and brass, each leaf is precisely positioned to reflect and diffuse light optimally, in line with Henningsen’s belief in light as an element of physical and mental well-being. Its innovative design and ability to provide perfect ambient lighting make it one of the most iconic and sought-after creations of the last century.
Falkland, Bruno Munari
In his book Da Cosa Nasce Cosa, Bruno Munari describes the Falkland hanging lamp as follows: The challenge is to design a living room lamp with good light quality that is both functional and decorative (certainly not in the sense of applied art, but in having a form that is pleasing to everyone, a natural and logical shape). Additionally, the object in question should be low-cost, easy to assemble, large in volume when in use, and very small in volume when in storage. Without expensive frames or mechanisms. Practical, durable, washable. The result of Munari’s research is this famous lamp produced by Danese Milano. A beautiful and intelligent design object, as only Munari could create.
Parentesi, 1971
Parentesi is a direct-light lamp that travels along a cable stretched between ceiling and floor. Originating from an idea by Pio Manzù and developed by Achille Castiglioni, it uses a curved metal element as a movable support for the light source. The shape recalls the typographic parenthesis, which gives the lamp its name. Its height is adjusted using only gravity and friction, with no complex mechanisms. Light, precise, and free of any rigid frame, it received the Compasso d’Oro in 1979. A radical design in its simplicity, where every part serves the function.
Taraxacum 88, Achille Castiglioni
The Taraxacum 88, designed by Italian master Achille Castiglioni in 1988, takes its name from the dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale. This sculptural lamp is composed of polished aluminum triangular modules, forming a geometric sphere. It uses numerous transparent bulbs that create dynamic lighting and surprising reflections. The combination of lightweight materials and the modular design make the Taraxacum 88 an icon of contemporary design, capable of transforming any space with its distinctive presence.
Macchina minima N.8, Michele de Lucchi
In the words of Michele de Lucchi himself: Macchine Minime are machines because they function like small machines; they move, shift, rise, lower, solve problems, and meet needs. Le Macchine Minime are minimal because they have nothing more than what is needed to make them work well and last a long time, because in the minimal it is easier to recognize the quality of form and material, because minimal refers to an idea of art, because art is Man.
This splendid example of De Lucchi’s hanging lamps is still in production by Produzione Privata, in an updated version since 1991, but as poetic and aesthetically powerful as ever.
Milk Bottle, Tejo Remi
The Milk Bottle Lamp by Tejo Remy, designed in 1991 for Droog Design, is an icon of Dutch design. It consists of 10 glass milk bottles containing a light bulb each, and suspended in a row by a steel cable. These hanging lamps transform everyday objects into design elements, challenging the materials and function of design itself. Made with simple materials like glass and steel, the Milk Bottle Lamp reflects Remy’s sustainable and creative approach, besides being one of the most well known items reflecting ideas and aesthetics of the Dutch design collective. This project earned Tejo Remy international acclaim, and it is now part of the collections of the world’s best design museums.
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