‘Stunning’ is a much-overused word these days – but there are some occasions where it is warranted.

Continuing my updates on design items that I consider special, Frisbi has been – literally and figuratively – a brilliant addition to our home.

This light was designed in 1978 by architect Achille Castiglione for Flos, and I first saw it some thirty years ago in a book of contemporary design by Jonathan Glancy. I was immediately struck by the way the disc appears to hover in the air beneath the highly-polished dome, and it stuck in the mind ever since. Frisbi has thus been on the to-own list for a long while, during which I am not certain that I ever saw an example ‘in the flesh’.

I had been feeling for some time that our dining area lacked presence; the table sat at one end of our main living space, but it felt unanchored. The only lighting came from ceiling-mounted spots some 3m above, which just gave overall, rather flat illumination

The decision was taken to make more emphatic use of the area, partially through the use of an over-table light; I have always felt that the dining table should be a cockpit of social interaction, and providing a strong pool of light is a way to encourage this. Thoughts once again turned to Frisbi; the plunge with an unseen item was taken, and an order duly placed as part of a general lighting redesign of the room.

As so often, the light arrived as a set of self-assembly parts, solidly packed. It initially seemed huge.  Fun ensued with the various cables, but with the help of our electrician, it was not a difficult task to install the light.

And suddenly those parts transformed into something with a real ‘wow’ factor. The effect is indeed stunning, with the support cables for the disc almost invisible from many angles. The piece sits motionless and with real presence, a combination of refined surfaces and barely-there cable creating a sculpture in the air. With the light positioned about a metre above the table, the more intimate setting desired has been well-created, and Frisbi has become one of the most commented-on items in the room.

The 1970s were a strange decade for design; much of its output looks decidedly dated now, but Frisbi has managed to avoid that – it looks perfectly contemporary and shows that great design really does stand the test of time. I am very pleased to own a piece by one of the masters of Italian design. The fact that the light immediately felt as though it had ‘always been there’ is the best testament to a truly stunning piece.