Designed in 1975 by the Italian–Japanese designer Mario Yagi for Sirrah, the “Garbo” reinterprets the everyday curtain as a luminous architectural element. Produced in Italy in the late 1970s and now discontinued, the model exemplifies Sirrah’s experimental approach under the leadership of design impresario Dino Gavina. The present set comprises four ceiling-mounted units with descending shade lengths, ideal for cascading installation or distributed placement across spaces.
Each light features a square lacquered metal body fixed to the ceiling and a cascading diffuser formed by dense strings of heat-resistant synthetic fabric. The soft, tactile fall of the strands creates a sculptural presence and beautifully modulates light, producing a gentle, vertical glow. Three E14 lamp holders are integrated within each body, providing even illumination while maintaining the lamp’s ethereal silhouette.
Beyond its atmospheric effect, “Garbo” is highly versatile: it can act as a partition between areas, animate a stairwell with a graduated sequence, or punctuate a large room in multiple points. The set remains in very good vintage condition with minor wear to the metal (largely hidden by the textile once installed) and retains the original manufacturer’s label.
Sirrah—founded by Dino Gavina in the late 1960s—championed collaborations that blended technological clarity with poetic form; Yagi’s textile-based diffuser stands within this lineage, balancing material invention and refined minimalism