At the heart of Spanish design history lies the work of Miguel Milá, whose philosophy finds one of its clearest expressions in the TM family. Originally, the initials TM stood for Tramo Móvil (Moving Section), a reference to the distinctive shade that glides up and down its stem like a sail. But the name also carries a more personal story. It nods to TRAMO, the company Milá founded in postwar Spain to produce his own designs. TRAMO itself was an acronym for Trabajos Molestos (Tedious Jobs), the name he gave as a child to an imaginary service agency in charge of the chores he had to take on as the youngest sibling in the family.

The letter following the shared root reveals the material or defining feature of each design: M for Madera (wood), A for Aluminio (aluminum), C for Cromada (chrome), and D for Diana, the latter because it shares the same circular base and economy of means as its namesake product. Miguel’s names are like his objects: their depth lies in their simplicity.

This exhibition traces the history of the TM family, from the first prototypes developed in the mid-1950s to its later evolutions. Throughout the decades, the collection has remained faithful to a single idea: a height-adjustable lamp built around intuitive use and an intelligent economy of means. Technical refinements, new materials, and additional typologies have continuously improved the system without altering the principles that defined it from the beginning.