"The object I’m proudest of? The switch, designed with my brother Pier Giacomo. Produced in large numbers, it’s bought for its formal qualities and no one, in electrical supply shops, knows who designed it. It’s pleasant to hold, it has a nice sound... and often, when I walk into a hotel room somewhere in the world and reach out for the bedside lamp switch, I find our switch."
Achille Castiglioni
The iconic 450 break-wire switch, produced at the time by VLM of Buccinasco, was designed over 50 years ago by 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 significant object has been produced in over 25 million units. All it takes, perhaps at night, is to run your hand along the soft textures of our fabric cables and follow them up to its unmistakable shape, instinctively reaching for the slider in the unconscious repetition of a gesture imbued with memory and beauty.
But the 450 is not the only switch designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. There are two "older brothers" designed for floor and table lamps: the 661 and the 662. You might remember them at the base of the "Arco" lamp, 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 realised thanks to the valuable help and support of the Achille Castiglioni Foundation.
The Foundation promotes, protects and makes public all the material that bears witness to the cultural, artistic, professional and human activity of Achille Castiglioni. Guided tours are available by appointment at Piazza Castello 27 in Milan, the site of Castiglioni's historic studio, where the design process behind his projects is shared through temporary exhibitions.
And finally (and, why not, to have a bit of fun), let’s not forget that, even if our products can’t boast an unrivalled icon like the Arco, in our own small way we do have an Archet(To), designed, by a strange twist of fate, also by an Achille (Novarino).
