A good lamp changes a room before anyone switches it on. The Flos Arco floor lamp throws its light across a sofa from a single block of marble, with no ceiling fixing and nothing else quite like it. It is in Dr Alvarez’s office in Die Another Day, and unlike most things in this film it is still made and still sold by the maker that first produced it in 1962.
In the film
An Arco with a white marble base stands in Dr Alvarez’s office on Isla de los Organos in Die Another Day (2002), seen when Halle Berry’s Jinx meets him. It is not a Bond-only object: the same lamp stood in Blofeld’s penthouse in Diamonds Are Forever, and a Knoll Barcelona chair is reported to appear alongside it in Die Another Day.
The details of the Flos Arco
A counterweight, not a decoration. The Castiglioni brothers, Achille and Pier Giacomo, designed it in 1962, adapting the idea from street lighting. The heavy white Carrara marble base is there to balance the arm, and the hole through it is for lifting: Flos notes that a pole pushed through it makes the base easier to lift.
The arm and the shade. A telescopic stainless-steel stem arcs out over the room, carrying a pressed, polished and varnished aluminium reflector that swivels and adjusts for height. Flos describes the light as direct, emitted through a perforated aluminium diffuser.
Scale. It stands 94.49in (240cm) high, reaches 72.83in (185cm) wide and runs 86.61in (220cm) long, with the base weighing about 141lb (64kg). It is a piece of furniture rather than a lamp, and the room has to be planned around it.
Owning it now
The Arco belongs over a sofa or a dining table, where the light falls from above and the base sits at the side. The cord on the Flos model is 90.55in (230cm), so plan the socket before the sofa, and the current model is dimmable.
Which version? Flos sells the current Arco with an integrated LED source, and Design Within Reach lists a version that takes a standard incandescent bulb, also made by Flos. We would choose the LED for its dimming; if you prefer a conventional bulb, the DWR listing is the one to read first.
Buying carefully. It is among the most copied lamps in the world. The authentic one is made by Flos in Italy, and Design Within Reach describes its listing as the authentic Arco produced by Flos.
At the time of writing, in October 2026, the RRP at Flos USA starts from US$4,095. A natural companion is the Knoll Barcelona chair, which we cover separately, though it is a separate purchase.
Specifications
| Designers | Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, 1962 |
|---|---|
| Maker | Flos, made in Italy |
| Base | White Carrara marble, with a hole for transport |
| Stem and reflector | Telescopic stainless steel; polished, perforated aluminium reflector |
| Height | 94.49in (240cm) |
| Width / length | 72.83in (185cm) / 86.61in (220cm) |
| Weight | About 141lb (64kg) |
| Cord | 90.55in (230cm), black |
| RRP | From US$4,095 (October 2026) |
Full details are on Flos’s own page for the Arco.
Questions
Where is the Arco lamp in Die Another Day?
In Dr Alvarez’s office on Isla de los Organos, with a white marble base. It is seen when Jinx meets him.
Who designed the Flos Arco?
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, in 1962. Flos produces it.
Why is the Arco base made of marble?
It is a counterweight for the long arched stem. The hole in the base is there so it can be lifted with a pole.
Is it a Bond lamp only?
No. It also appears in Diamonds Are Forever, in Blofeld’s penthouse.
The rest of the room is on the Die Another Day page; more furnishings are in Home & Interiors.
