FIVE FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT ARTEMIDE

1 The company also produced furniture in the 1960s, exploring the possibilities of plastic with its stackable ‘Selene’ dining chair, ‘Demetrio 70’ coffee table and ‘Studio 80’ table, all designed by Vico Magistretti.

2 In the 1960s, Artemide collaborated only with Italian designers, but in the 1970s it embarked on a period of international expansion, working with German designer Richard Sapper, Swiss architect Mario Botta and Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

3 In the 1990s, Artemide announced its philosophy ‘ The Human Light’, which focuses on promoting wellbeing rather than only pursuing technological excellence.

4 Artemide’s bestselling lights are the ‘Tolomeo’, the ‘Tizio’, the ‘Castore’ pendant light by Michele De Lucchi and Huub Ubbens (2003), Ross Lovegrove’s ‘Mercury’ chandelier and Giuseppe Maurizio Scutellà’s ‘Pirce’ lamp ( both from 2008). 5 The company has garnered prestigious Compasso d’oro design awards for the ‘Eclisse’, ‘Tolomeo’, ‘Pipe’ and ‘IN-EI’.