Romeo Rega Brass Slatted Table Lamps

Romeo Rega (b. Rome 1925 - 1984) was a furniture designer and master iron forger . He followed in the footsteps of his father Pietro, also an artisan. He apprenticed with a master blacksmith and forger from whom he learned the art of iron. In the late 1940's he opened a small shop in Trastevere, Rome where he began to work with wrought iron, designing and crafting gates, railings and iron furniture. In 1957 he opened his first studio where he collaborated with talented wrought iron and forging masters.

In 1959, he received an important order for Cinecitta to design and build the chariots for the film Ben-Hur. Among his clients are glitterati from the world of cinema and entertainment.

In the 1970's Romeo Rega was part of a pack of Italian designers combining inventiveness and elegance with strong modernist influence. Working with Willy Rizzo & Gabriella Crespi they championed Modernist Glam, still very much in vogue today. He began to apply the traditional methods of working iron with materials such as brass, steel and lucite.

The company manufactured until 1981 and his pieces are now very sought after. (A single one of these lamps is currently retailing at $2700NZD in the US).