Floor Lamp Globe by Franck Ligtelijn for Raak, 1950s

Jewelry designer Franck Ligtelijn (1933-1996) became part of the design team at renowned Dutch lighting manufacturer Raak in the early 1960s. It is for this role that he is best known among the design community, being the creator of the minimalist Globe 2000 Floor Lamp (1961) that has become Raak’s most celebrated design and an icon of Dutch lighting design.

The sophisticated simplicity, high-quality materials—including a glass globe produced by German glassworks Peill & Putzler, which is held by a chrome support —and adjustability of Ligtelijn’s Globe 2000 brought instant success to Raak, and Ligtelijn soon designed a series of Globe lamps, including pendants and desk lamps to complement the floor lamp. Though it is highly probable that Ligtelijn designed other lamps for Raak, due to the huge commercial and critical success of the Globe Series, his other designs often take a backseat. Despite there being a wealth of information available on this icon of minimalist design, there is relatively little known about Ligtelijn himself. Nevertheless, the Globe Series is not only an exemplar of Space Age design, but also remains as in demand among vintage lovers today as it was in the Netherlands in the 1960s.

Founded in 1954 by Carel O. Lockhorn, Raak is recognized as one of the most important Dutch lighting manufacturers of the 20th century. Before launching his business in Amsterdam, Lockhorn had worked for lighting giant Philips in Eindhoven (where he later opened a second Raak outlet). Raak's tagline was “Illuminated Architecture”—Lichtarchitectuur in Dutch—which emphasized the brand's commitment to producing designs that integrate harmoniously with sophisticated, high concept interiors. Raak’s glass and metal table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, and wall lights achieved an aesthetic that was both elegant and futuristic through high quality materials with innovative forms.

In the 1960s, Raak began collaborating with the well-known artist and glassmaker Willem van Oyen. While the marriage of art and industry was common in the Netherlands—where the lines between the creative professions were often blurred and many artists also worked as designers—the results of van Oyen's contributions Raak were far from ordinary. Raak promoted Van Oyen’s iconic, handcrafted Chartres Wall Lights (c.1964) as smeltschilderijen, or "melted paintings." The series was inspired by the magnificent stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral in France.

Raak regularly collaborated with international designers and architects, including E. J. (Evert Jelle) Jelles, Sergio Asti, Bertrand Balas, and Nanny Still. Two of Raak’s most celebrated lamps are the cylindrical, metal Fuga Lamp by Maija-Liisa Komulainen (c.1970) and the super simple, glass Globe 2000 Floor Lamp by Frank Ligtelijn (1961). Following its quick success, the Globe 2000 was produced as a pendant and wall lamp as well. Its minimalist aesthetic is an excellent example of Raak’s signature style and has become a vintage classic.

In 1974, Lockhorn sold the company but remained a director until 1977. In 1999, the company became a part of the Centre for Light Architecture in Drachten.

One of the most significant lighting firms of the postwar period and a key contributor to theSpace Age style of the 1960s and '70s, Raak lamps are highly sought after by collectors and vintage enthusiasts around the world.