Harvey Guzzini Best Pendant Lamp
Project year: 1968
Year of production starting: 1968
Year of production ending: 1976
Lamps in the movies
A Harvey Guzzini Best floor lamp appears in the 2016 internationally co-produced comedy film The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared. The film is is a sequel to The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared from 2013. The film is in Swedish. Starring Robert Gustafsson and Iwar Wiklander.
Many thanks to Juan from Falsotecho for the pictures and enthusiasm. You can find his website over here.
Many thanks to Rok and Petra from TheFifthHandShop for the additional photos. You can find their shop over here on Etsy.
Many thanks to Dragoslav of Design70Shop for the all the help. You can find his shop on Etsy over here.
Harvey Guzzini Best Pendant Lamp
Materials: Brown degrading rounded round acrylic lampshade, white on the inside. Opal glass globe diffuser inside. Round chrome lid on top. Some chrome and metal parts. Bakelite E27 socket.
Cord Length: 80 cm / 31.49”
Height: 24 cm / 9.44”
Width: ∅ 35 cm / 9.25”
Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used. But preferably a white globe bulb.
Period: 1960s, 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.
Designer: Harvey Guzzini Design Team.
Manufacturer: Harvey Guzzini, today named iGuzzini illuminazione S.p.A, via Mariano Guzzini, 37, 62019, Recanati, Italy.
Other versions: The Harvey Guzzini Best pendant lamp exists in two sizes and several colours. Also a table lamp, floor lamp and wall lamp were made. The degrading brown was used for many other lamps made by the company. You can find many examples on this website.
Beware! New lamps made in glass are in production in China!
You can find these Best pendant lamps with labels from Harveiluce, Harvey Guzzini, iGuzzini and MEBLO. MEBLO sold it under the name Jadran, after the Adriatic Sea (Jadransko More).
iGuzzini illuminazione
iGuzzini illuminazione was established in June 1958 by Raimondo Guzzini (born 1928) under the name Harvey. Harvey is derived from the famous movie ‘Harvey’ with James Stuart and the invisible rabbit Harvey from 1950.
The initial production of enamelled copper objects was supplemented by decorative luminaires.
In the early sixties it became a family business when his 5 brothers joined the company. In 1962 Luigi Massoni was attracted to lead the design team. He worked for Fratelli Guzzini and Harvey Guzzini until 1976. Luigi Massoni designed many iconic lamps in that period.
The company still exists and changed the name in 1974 into iGuzzini and in 1981 to iGuzzini illuminazione.
iGuzzini produced several lamps with this type of lampshade. The Baobab lamp is one of them. Also the Bella di notte has this type of lampshade and a rare version of the Brumbry, as you can see below.
MEBLO
Harvey Guzzini lamps were also sold under the brand name MEBLO. MEBLO is a Slovenian (Yugoslavia) company.
The MEBLO factory was founded in 1948 when Gorizia craftsmen joined forces and founded the Furniture Factory, later named Edvard Kardelj (communist leader and national hero of World War II). In 1950 the name changed in MEBLO.
At first, they made exclusive furniture, which was later supplemented with upholstered furniture, lighting, plastic and mattresses.
MEBLO also produced plastic chairs and tables, plasticised metal garden tables and chairs, plastic chairs for sports halls, plastic flower beds, mirrors and plastic bathroom equipment (design by Luigi Massoni), wooden set of club tables, shelves, buffet carts and mirrors (design by Gianfranco Frattini).
The last lamps were produced around 1990, 1991 until the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Today the company is named MebloJOGI. It only produces mattresses for beds.
Sijaj Hrastnik
Before Meblo started to produce Harvey Guzzini lamps, Sijaj Hrastnik, another Slovenian company sold them in Yugoslavia.
Acrylic: often named by its commercial name: Perspex, Plexiglas, Crylux, Acrylite, Lucite, is a thermoplastic.
Harvey Guzzini Best pendant lamp, table lamp, floor lamp
Logo used between 1959 and 1964. Inspired by the 1950 film “Harvey“, starring James Stewart.
Logo used between 1965 and 1977. This logo was designed by Luigi Massoni.
The architect Massoni was invited to work with Harvey as the company’s art director, a move that gave further impetus to the idea of collaborating with designers.
Between 1967 and 1971, Ennio Lucini designed the catalogue tor the DH brand, under which lamps for home lighting were marketed.
Logo used from 1974 until today, designed by Advema G&R Associati. This logo embodied the company’s entire output, which was marketed under other brands such as DH, Doma and Atelier.
It was during this period that the company began making technical products. Spot and flood lights in particular.