CicloItalia Flex by Catellani & Smith

CicloItalia Flex defines the new phase of an evolutionary process that began back in 1989 with the unique story of the Ciclocina lamp. At the end of the eighties, Enzo Catellani brought back some exclusive bicycle lamps from one of his trips to the Orient, turning them into one of the timeless icons of Catellani & Smith, the Ciclocina lamp. When these bicycle lights were no more available, in 2018 the company realised that they were not impossible to reproduce, and it decided to pay tribute to this special creation with CicloItalia, heir to the design legacy of the original model.

Now, a few years later, CicloItalia is undergoing a further makeover to provide the inspiration for a new collection named CicloItalia Flex. The philosophy behind the design remains the same: the distinctive headlamp as a bridge between oriental culture and the wisdom of Italian savoir-faire is still the distinguishing concept of the new floor and wall lamps, now enhanced by a brass flex and a new ‘branching element’ at the base of the spotlight. Two elements that not only personalise and shape the configuration of the lamp but also enable the light to be pointed in many directions, creating a ‘flexible’ solution that can be adapted to meet all lighting requirements. The choice to use untreated brass for the entire structure had endowed CicloItalia with a vintage feel, celebrating the nostalgic design of retro inspiration.

Instead, in the new CicloItalia Flex, the brass finish is replaced by a more contemporary version of the headlights – in black or white and with a more elongated shape – but returns in the flex and in the rims of the glass lenses. CicloItalia Flex is available in the C6 ceiling lamp, with six flex that rise from a cylindrical base, unwinding into a ‘dance’ suspended in the air, and in the F3 floor version, composed of three metal rods – black or white – joined in a single stand, from which three brass flex and three metal spotlights branch off. Instead, in the wall version, the lamp is available in the CicloItalia Flex W1 and W2 variants. The first, with rectangular base installed vertically, is designed as a bedside lamp and features a single flex, with directional spotlight and on/off switch, while the second one features two flex and two spotlights, set on a horizontally installed rectangular base.