Standing still has never been an option for Martinelli Luce. A changing vantage point is a part of its character. The need for change becomes a driving force, to always see things with new eyes, shaping the creative culture of the company and all its projects. This way of never settling for less than total attention to even the smallest details is reflected in the company’s way of crossing paths with like-minded designers. Such as Sergio Asti, one of the great masters of Italian design, starting from the 1950s. Less than one year after his death, Martinelli pays homage to his talent with the reissue of the Visiere table lamp.
Designed in 1968, prompted by Asti’s close friendship with Elio Martinelli, Visiere sums up the architect’s poetics. Three half spheres, overlaid in a game of graded hues, spread a soft glow to create a particular ambient effect. The inspiration comes from the antique helmets of samurai warriors – Asti was a connoisseur of Japanese culture – generating a discreet yet forceful presence. There is also a hint of sudden shifts of scale, with which the architect played in the various sizes of the domes. Every lamp is now numbered, with Asti’s signature on the base.
Visiere by Martinelli Luce, Design Sergio Asti
Cabriolette by Martinelli Luce
Design Studio Natural
Experimentation, driven by this observation from various angles, blends with innovation and geometry as a source of inspiration for Martinelli. The result is Cabriolette, designed by Studio Natural. Small, directional, functional, round and playful, its aesthetic goes perfectly with its function thanks to the reflector, which precisely like the top of a convertible auto offers protection, aiming the light to enhance the room, in a multi-tasking approach depending on the version: table, wall, or cordless with rechargeable battery (to bring outdoors, into the garden).
The choice of materials also becomes part of the research process. As in the case of Colletto, a table lamp created by Emmepi Design that etches a V – a clear reference to a shirt collar – onto a cylinder of Arabesque marble. Like fabric, the stone filters the light, which brings out its natural grain, making every object unique. Three projects for constantly changing ways of interpreting lighting. From the perspective of Martinelli.
Colletto by Martinelli Luce, Design Emmepi Design
