05/10/2024 - Irreverent, playful, iconic. The
Snoopy table lamp, one of the most original and ironic objects in the history of design, was conceived in 1967 by the genius of A
chille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for
Flos. Its unmistakable shape, as well as the name, evokes the profile of the famous Charlie Brown's dog, created by the pen of the American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. Originally black, today Snoopy is enriched with a
new navy blue look.
Pin itFlos, SNOOPY - Ph. ©Alecio Ferrari
Known for their perfect sense of equilibrium, the
Castiglioni brothers combined fine materials, lighting engineering and playful, irreverent design into this iconic table lamp.
Snoopy features a cylindrical base of white Carrara marble, set at an oblique angle to the surface it rests on. The base supports a thick glass disc that acts as a diffuser, which in turn holds a lightweight enamelled aluminium shade, complete with three cooling holes resembling the grip of a bowling ball. The shade features an internal white finish, acting as a reflector to diffuse the light evenly on the surface.
Although it may appear as an unbalanced volume, the Snoopy lamp is instead very stable thanks to the perfect weight distribution of its components. The inclined design of the lamp directs the light beam almost entirely towards the worktop area, with limited output on the opposite side. This lighting concept was by no means traditional for its time and remains an innovative and much appreciated feature to this day.
Pin itFlos, SNOOPY - Ph. ©Alecio Ferrari
The original model housed all its electronics within the marble base, which also accommodated the switch and an electronic dimmer for varying light intensity, controlled via a small rotary knob that was highly innovative for the time. Today, both the on/off function and 0-100% light intensity adjustment are managed by an integrated touch dimmer sensor.
From the original black version, Snoopy has evolved into a collection that includes green and orange variants. Today,
Flos expands the collection with the introduction of the navy blue color, a shade that recalls the Sciuko lamp, another creation of the Castiglioni brothers for Flos from 1966.
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In the case of historically significant objects designed by great masters, Flos introduces new colours with the utmost caution and respect, starting from the study of archive materials. The lively nuances chosen for the Snoopy range drew inspiration from the Sciuko lamp, a versatile spotlight designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1966, with a rich colour palette that contributed to its enormous popularity.
Snoopy has been featured in numerous exhibitions over its lifetime and is part of the permanent collections of some of the world's leading design museums, including MoMA.
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Pin itFlos, SNOOPY - Ph. ©Alecio Ferrari
Pin itFlos, SNOOPY - Ph. ©Alecio Ferrari
Pin itFlos, SNOOPY - Ph. ©Alecio Ferrari
Pin itFlos, SNOOPY - Ph. ©Alecio Ferrari