Design Icon: Nessino Table Lamp
The iconic Nessino Table Lamp, designed by Giancarlo Mattioli for Artemide is a much-celebrated symbol of modern design. Bold, playful and bursting with personality, its distinctive orange mushroom shape redefined modern lighting with a play between organic curves and industrial materials.
A true embodiment of the 1960s era of experimentation and innovation, the Nessino Table Lamp is a mid-century classic, fondly dubbed the ‘orange mushroom lamp’. And it carries a fascinating backstory.
About Artemide
Artemide is a prestigious Italian lighting brand known for its innovation and unconventional designs. Founded in 1960 in Milan, Italy by Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza, it adopts the ‘The Human Light’ philosophy which approaches light design with people’s well-being in mind.
Artemide is a prestigious Italian lighting brand known for its innovation and unconventional designs. Founded in 1960 in Milan, Italy by Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza, it adopts the ‘The Human Light’ philosophy which approaches light design with people’s well-being in mind.
Artemide is always at the forefront of innovation with its huge number of patents filed and granted to this day proving itself as a groundbreaking and ever-evolving catalyst in technological, mechanical and electric lighting.
Artemide proudly focuses on eco-friendly practices, energy-efficient designs, and bold shapes and colour palettes. The brand is still, to this day, fearless, inspiring and boundary-pushing.
But it isn’t only the orange mushroom light Artemide is known for. They have also released the Eclisse (1967, Vico Magistretti), Tolomeo (1989, Michele De Lucchi & Giancarlo Fassina), Pipe (2004, Herzog & De Meuron) and IN-EI Collection (2014, Issey Miyake).
The History of the Artemide Nessino Lamp
The orange mushroom lamp leveraged new techniques, materials and even concepts, leaving traditional lighting design in its wake. The turning point? An electrifying era of change.
The Materials
The rise of synthetic materials during the 1960s marked a departure from the tried-and-tested metals, glass, ceramics, and typical choices of the period: cue the introduction of plastics.
The Nessino was made from injection-moulded ABS thermoplastic. This was a cutting-edge material for the time that allowed for its smooth, soft curves, pushing new boundaries for the form lighting could take.
It also allowed for a soft, ambient glow due to the plastic material diffusing the light evenly.
The Form
Aside from its famous orange hue, the Nessino’s mushroom-like shape makes it a quintessential piece of 1960s modernist design.
Inspired by nature and its organic shapes, the Nessino’s rounded, bulbous form, connecting the base and shade into one single form, brings a unique and flowing cohesion to the structure.
This shape too is famously playful and in contrast to previous rigid and more industrial forms of the decades before, bringing a burst of personality and warmth into the design that stands strong today.
The Technology
The lamp was designed to fit multiple compact fluorescent bulls without the need for bulkier scale structures of the past.
The integrated wiring and switch placement also meant the lamp was simple to use and maintain, ideal for effortless home use.
What bulbs are needed for the Nessino lamp?
It requires 4 x 2W LED E14 Bulbs, we recommend these bulbs >
Where to buy the Nessino Lamp now?
Good news for those who want to own a piece of design history. Artemide still manufactures the lamp, and they sell them at select retailers.
At Holloways of Ludlow, we proudly stock the Nessino in eight vibrant colours, including the famous orange hue.
Take a look at our website to order, or head over to one of our showrooms to see the beauty of the lamps in action.
