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First released in 1961, the Model 597 by Italian virtuoso
Gianfranco Frattini is the lamp that launched him as a lighting
designer. Short and cylindrical in shape, the Model 597 is
fitted with multiple bulbs and quirky fringes that disguise its
functional versatility. Its unique and playful form perfectly
encapsulates Frattini’s extraordinary approach to the
aesthetics of light.
Frattini understood that light has an unparalleled power to
make or break a space. Experienced at creating interiors
for public spaces such as restaurants and nightclubs, he
appreciated the importance of modulating light to create
nuances within an interior – forming areas of both functional
focus and warm, subtle radiance that contribute to the
atmosphere and sense of place.
Frattini’s thinking led directly to the development of the Model
597, a lamp conceived to combine direct and indirect light,
using a dual switch and a fringed curtain to soften the bulbs’
glow. The fringe gives the light texture and volume, while
evoking the decorative features of a traditional lampshade.
Model 597’s unique nylon fringes were inspired by both the
world of fashion and the fringed entrance curtains commonly
found in Italy’s bars and grocery stores in the late 1950s.
They are affixed to a diabolo-shaped aluminum base, which
is fitted with six lateral bulbs around the central core, with
an additional bulb housed in a cavity on top, directing light
upwards. This creates a 360º light that floods out evenly
between the fringes, as well as an uplight – enhanced by the
reflection in the polished-aluminum surface – which can be
individually controlled with a dual-button switch.
The lamp was a hit from the moment it was launched, and
swiftly appeared in residential projects and in public settings
throughout the early 1960s – notably including Frattini’s
celebrated Restaurant St. Andrews in Milan in 1963. Although
it was undoubtedly Model 597’s characteristic appearance
that caught design lovers’ eyes, it was the lamps’ ingenious
versatility, ability to enrich any setting, and endless aesthetic
possibilities that made it an icon and earned it timeless appeal.
Thanks to the Model 597’s unusual marriage of industrial
process and alluring tactility, Frattini secured his place in the
pantheon of great 20th-century lighting designers.
Referring to Frattini’s original drawings alongside an original
example of the design, GUBI and the Frattini family have not
only reissued the Model 597 Floor Lamp as it was, but also
scaled the dimensions down to a smaller size. This smaller
variant retains all the functional flexibility and aesthetic
impact of the 1960s original, in a compact tabletop size, with
four lateral bulbs rather than six.
The bodies of both versions are constructed from aluminum
plate, which is spun on a lathe and shaped over a mold. The
Table Lamp is made from a single piece, and the Floor Lamp
comprises two pieces, which are attached using three finger
screws. These are also used to affix the baseplate and cover
to both lamps, making them easy to disassemble for repair
or recycling.
Now, more than six decades after it was first produced, the
Model 597 is back, its characteristic and timeless blend of
versatility, elegance, tactility, and light-hearted whimsy ready
to delight a new generation. As the lamp that cemented
Frattini as one of the masters of light, the Model 597 has an
important place in design history, and brilliantly showcases
the affinity for materials, functional focus, and construction
ingenuity that so many of his designs embodied. GUBI is
honored to give this one-of-a-kind design – and its visionary
designer – a platform once more.
Model 597 Floor Lamp and Table Lamp
Model 597 Floor Lamp
