The Oluce Atollo lamp is the brainchild of Italian industrial designer and architect Vico Magistretti. Born in Milan to a family of architects, he was introduced to the world of design and architecture from a young age. Magistretti is widely noted as one of the founding fathers of Italian design; his work ranging from furniture design to architecture was both experiential and simplistic in form.
The designer stuck to a strict design philosophy, noting that there was no excuse for bad design. He had a penchant for streamlining his designs with geometric combinations, and once said “I love geometric shapes. I love to make essential things that look like nothing.”
The innovative design allows for plenty of effortless leg room underneath the table Image: Courtesy of Knoll
While Saarinen designed the Tulip chairs to be paired alongside the table, the innovative slender base of the Tulip table meant that even normal four-legged chairs are able to fit comfortably under the table without jostling for space.
While the design of the table and chairs might seem straightforward, the engineering behind the collection is indiscernibly complex. Saarinen was determined to create the collection in order to resolve what he deemed as the ugly, confusing, (and) unrestful world underneath tables and chairs.
This wasn’t his first foray into such a concept the architect first toyed with the idea in 1931 for the Kingswood School for girls, when he designed a streamlined table with a four-legged base cinched together.