The ICON | Snoopy Lamp

The playful personas of the Castiglioni brothers are evident in their Snoopy design, named after the beloved cartoon character by Charles M. Schulz and featuring a distinctive, light-hearted shape. The original Snoopy Lamp debuted in 1967 and this version was reintroduced in 2003 with updated technology.

For Julie Lakovski, studio manager at Euroluce’s Melbourne showroom, the 1967 Snoopy lamp is a classic. “It’s a timeless design that appeals to designers, whether they place it on a console at an entrance or in their living areas or bedrooms. Often, I see them placed at the end of a kitchen bench,” Lakovski says.

Featuring a white Cararra marble base, with a built-in dimmer, the Snoopy can be purchased with either a black (popular with architects) or a green reflective ‘face’ (the latter entering the market in 2018). This lamp not only comes with a fine pedigree (not only referring to the beagle dog but the Castiglioni brothers), but with some of the most important designers working today. Milanese-based designer Patricia Urquiola came from Spain to Milan to study architecture at the Polytechnic (di Milano) and was fortunate to learn from Achille Castiglioni.

“When I started the program I was only interested in doing architecture. But when I first encountered Achille, I could see that he was different. And I began to focus on the idea of design and not the big ‘A’ of architecture,” Urquiola says(as quoted in Icon Eye in August 2018). Her experience would not only inspire her, now considered to be one of the world’s leading designers, but also to be at the helm of a major retrospective of the Castiglioni studio in October 2018 for the Triennale di Milano.

Closer to home, architect Marc Dixon had coveted the Snoopy Lamp for many years. “I’m a huge Castiglioni fan. It was not only seeing his work, but also knowing that one of my other favourite designers, Patricia Urquiola, was mentored by him in her formative years,” Marc says, who not surprisingly, being an architect chose the Snoopy with the black reflector. “The proportions are just right and I see beyond the Snoopy profile,” Marc says, who also appreciates the quality of light produced (with the option of LED or a halogen light, both of which can be brightened or dimmed).

Marc displays his Snoopy lamp on a side table in the living room in his 1950s apartment in Melbourne, designed by architect Bernard Evans. “The light it projects is quite unique. It can be used as mood lighting, or brightened for reading on an office desk,” says Marc, who also appreciates the lamp’s proportions and its distinctive form.

With the rediscovery of 1960s and ‘70s architecture and interiors, the Snoopy is once again enjoying a revival, with many who aren’t even remotely familiar with the Snoopy character or the cartoon series ‘Peanuts’. “Once you have one of these lamps, you quickly want to do your homework and see where the inspiration came from,” adds Marc.