1980s Dove Desk Lamp

Materials: Anthracite coloured, almost black poly-carbonate round base with a built-in switch. 12 & 6 volt transformer inside the round base. Flat plastic rod. Arm supports in molybdenum steel. Some metal parts. Adjustable rectangular plastic lampshade. Aluminium reflector. Porcelain socket.

Height: 75 cm / 29.52” – adjustable

Lampshade: ∅ 18,5 x 6 cm / 7.28 x 2.36”

Base: ∅ 12 cm / 4.72”

Electricity: 1 bulb GY 6,35 or QT-12, 1 x 50 watt maximum, 220/12 volt.
Any type of GY 6,35 or QT-12 halogen light bulb on 12 volt can be used, not a specific one preferred. Also G4 light bulbs can be used.

Period: 1980s, 1990s.

Designer: Marco Colombo and Mario Barbaglia in 1984.

Manufacturer: PAF Studio, Milan, Italy.

Other Versions: This 1980s Dove desk lamp exists in several colours. Made in white, red, blue, maroon and so on. All with a black or coloured round base. It has a double intensity switch.

Mario Barbaglia – Marco Colombo

Mario Barbaglia was born in 1950 in Milan, Italy. He graduated in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano (Milan Polytechnic), where he was a pupil of Paolo Portoghesi. Paolo Portoghesi was dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano university from 1968 until 1978.

In 1975 Mario Barbaglia opened an office with Marco Colombo. In the beginning they focused on interior design projects for commercial areas. Later, in 1984, Mario Barbaglia and Marco Colombo started working with PAF Studio from Milan, later named Italiana Luce. The Dove desk lamp was one of their first designs for PAF Studio. Many objects by the duo received international prizes and are to be found in the collections of museums all over the world. They remained partners until 1999.

PAF Studio

Whatever happened with PAF Studio, what later became Italiana Luce is unclear. In the 2000s the Dove desk lamp was produced by NEMO Lighting from Milan. Since 2020 it is out of production. It disappeared from their website.

The NEMO company was founded in 1993. Whether the company is the successor of Italiana Luce is unknown. Do you have an idea? Please let us know through the contact form and help improve the websites exactitude. Your help is much appreciated..

NEMO s.r.l. produces lamps designed by Mario Bellini, Vico Magistretti, Karim Rashid, Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris), Roberto Paoli, Carlo Forcolini and many others.

Lamps in the movies!

La Mante (2017)

A 1980s Dove desk lamp appears in the 2017 French TV thriller miniseries “La Mante” (The Mantis). Starring Carole Bouquet, Fred Testot and Jacques Weber. It is a series about a serial killer in Paris, France.

Dirty Lines (2022)

A 1980s Dove desk lamp was used as a prop in the 2022 Dutch TV series Dirty Lines. Here in season 1, episode 6. Starring: Joy Delima, Minne Koole and Chris Peters.