“The object I’m most proud of? The switch, designed with my brother Pier Giacomo. Produced in large numbers, it’s purchased for its formal qualities, and no one in electrical supply stores knows who designed it. It feels good in your hand, makes a nice sound... and often, when I walk into a hotel room somewhere in the world and reach out to find the switch on the bedside lamp, I find our switch.”
Achille Castiglioni
The legendary 450 cut-wire switch, produced by the then VLM of Buccinasco, was born over 50 years ago from the pencil of one of the greatest figures in Italian design, winner of nine Compasso d'Oro awards. The sound of its click has become part of the collective imagination, as this small yet great object has been produced in over 25 million pieces. At night, you might find yourself running your hand over the soft textures of our fabric cords and up to its unmistakable shape, instinctively searching for the slider in the unconscious repetition of a gesture filled with memory and beauty.
But the 450 isn’t the only switch designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. There are two "big brothers" designed for floor and table lamps: the 661 and the 662. You might remember them at the base of the "Arco" lamps, also designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, the “Aoy” and “Stylos” by Achille Castiglioni for Flos, or the "Ettore" lamps by E. Gismondi for Artemide, or even the “Brumbury” by Luigi Massoni for Guzzini.
Project completed thanks to the valuable help and support of the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni.
The Foundation promotes, protects, and makes public all materials that document the cultural, artistic, professional, and personal activities of Achille Castiglioni. Guided tours are available by reservation at Piazza Castello 27 in Milan, the historic studio of Castiglioni, where his design process is shared through temporary exhibitions.
And finally (and, why not, just for a laugh), let’s not forget that, even if we can’t boast an iconic product like the Arco, in our own small way we do have an Archet(To), also designed—by a strange twist of fate—by an Achille (Novarino).
