Franco Albini

The Franco Albini Story

Though all thoroughly modern, Franco Albini's designs still honor the traditionalist values of handcrafted personalization and historical accuracy. While many designers downplay the appearance of "lesser" fittings and columns, Albini’s lamps and pendants have a stalwart appearance, their "lesser" parts playing as important a role as the shades themselves. It's as if he's paying tribute to the lasting hefty columns that support ancient Roman buildings. By taking pieces from the past and updating them with modern technology, Albini's designs achieve timeless appeal, as seen in his 1969 collection.

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Why We Love Franco Albini

A leader of the Rationalist movement in Italy, Franco Albini grew up with a love for historic designs and traditions that allowed him to expound on his modern concepts. Graduating with an architecture degree from Politecnico di Milano in 1929, Albini served an apprenticeship with Milanese Architects Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia until opening his own practice in 1931. He applied techniques of cabinet makers to his architecture, furniture and lighting designs for a look both familiar and novel and left a lasting imprint from Milan to Genoa with his urban development and building projects before passing away in 1977.

Noteworthy Lighting by Franco Albini

The Nemo Franco Albini AM1N Table Lamp is an iconic design, its attractive handblown glass shade appearing almost cloud-like, grounded by a distinct metal base.

In His Own Words

"I require that students manifest a full-blown attitude and stubborn vocation for design, such that the choice is perceived as the only possible way to express themselves in society, the only way to communicate with the world, the only way to realize their own personality."

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