TMC lamp - Miguel Milà (1960)

Today we return home to tell you about one of the most iconic lamp designs in Spanish design and its creator, one of the masters of industrial design.

In terms of lampswe have travelled to Germany (Ingo Maurer), Denmark (Verner Panton), to Italy a couple of times (Castiglioni y Joe Colombo) and we have also stayed in Spain (PHASE).

Miguel Milà was born in Barcelona in the 1930s into an aristocratic family closely linked to the contemporary art scene of the time - his uncle was the one who commissioned Gaudí to build La Pedrera - and although he did not study architecture, he began working as an architect. interior designer in the architecture office of his brother, Alfonso Milàshared with Federico Correa.

Like many other forerunners, Milà started out in the industrial design due to the scarcity of objects, means and raw materials at the time. It was these shortages that prompted him to formulate many of the prototypes that would eventually become design classics. Among them, the TMC lamp is perhaps one of his most representative works.

In 1960, Milà's aunt, Núria Sagnier, entrusted him with the interior design of her recently acquired office, and as a result of this commission, the prototype of the TMC lamp (Tramo mobile chromed), a piece initially produced by the company Tramo - created by Milà himself to manufacture his designs - and which today continues to be produced by Santa & Cole.

Milà designed the lamp with a variable height that can be adjusted by means of a handle that allows the circular translucent methacrylate lampshade located at the end of the iron base to be braked or released. To prevent scratches, the upper edge is chromed to facilitate the sliding of the lampshade. The foot, supported by four steel fingers, balances the lampshade while adding a chic touch of distinction. Another of its many distinguishing features is the absence of a switch, as it is switched on and off by lightly pulling on the electric cord. All these particularities allow the lamp to adopt multiple uses: it can be used as a reading lamp, in the living room, dining room, hallway...

Its elegant and simple design combined with its aesthetic and functional beauty mean that the TMC lamp is still very present in many of our homes and has been part of the permanent collection of the TMC since 1994. Museum of Decorative Arts currently located in the DHUB.