175 - Paolo Tilche (1925–2003)

Paolo Tilche (1925–2003) Anna Table lamp Black-lacquered tubular metal, white Plexiglas 1962 H 34.5, W 48 cm An Italian designer and architect, Paolo Tilche made a name for himself throughout his career by creating products with resolutely innovative forms. He was also a pioneer in making design and interior decoration accessible to the general public by hosting the first television show dedicated to home design. Born in 1925 in Egypt, Paolo Tilche studied at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He graduated in 1949 and began his career as an architect in 1950, working on numerous residential and industrial projects as well as office designs. His most significant and highly regarded project was the Hotel Raya, located on the hills of Panarea in Sicily. At the same time, he devoted himself to designing furniture and home decor accessories. He collaborated with numerous manufacturers, such as Fratelli Guzzini, for whom he designed kitchen and cocktail accessories as well as tableware; Olivetti and Gruppo Industriale Busnelli, for whom he designed lighting fixtures of elegant simplicity; Bilumen; and Sirrah, for whom he created the iconic Space Age S3 floor lamp, which appeared in the 1977 James Bond film *The Spy Who Loved Me*. He also worked with the German company Blome in the bathroom accessories sector. Whether working with plastics, wood, rattan, leather, metal, or aluminum, he explored all the possibilities of the materials of his time to get the most out of them. A member of the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, he founded the Milanese design store Arform in 1955 with his wife Anna, showcasing not only his own creations but also those of other international designers. He sought out the finest design pieces in Italy and around the world, offering, for example, lamps by the Japanese designer Noguchi, glassware by the Swiss designer Niederer, and wooden creations by the Danish designer Bojesen, making this avant-garde concept store the ultimate destination for a broad and discerning clientele eager to avoid fleeting trends. An innovator and pioneer, he was also the creator of the first television show dedicated to interior design and home living, titled “Il piacere della casa,” thereby democratizing and popularizing the practice of design to bring good taste into Italian homes.