In my experience, it's the Italians that set the tone for how the rest of the world is illuminated. Vast architectural shapes, tiny pin pricks like stars, thousands of lamps shaped like tulips and hanging from the ceiling.... Yes, they all happen in Italy first. It's the Italian lighting brands artisanal approaches, craftsmanship, and innovative materials come together to set trends and design directions, and it's where we at Livingetc look to for new ideas.
It's no coincidence that the world's most important lighting show, Euroluce, happens in Milan. Hosted every other year, it sprawls out alongside the annual Salone del Mobile, as thousands of people from around the around the globe flock to see the best in brand new international design.
I was last at Euroluce this year, wandering the stands, marvelling at the new designs and taking notes of the big lighting trends for the year ahead.
In a show so large that you can't see everything, so here are the brands I've pulled out as the very best in Italian lighting — in no order other than alphabetical — as the ones you can guarantee will light up your life, alongside the best places to shop for lighting from Italy.
1. Bonaldo
Bonaldo's lighting is sleek and modern.
Bonaldo's stand is a highlight for me at Salone del Mobile because what it does best is luxe and rounded forms, smooth materials, and pieces made out of unusual stones — I always come away with a phone reel full of orb-like tables and consoles with arch cutaways. And that flair extends to its lighting collection.
Yes, Bonaldo isn't strictly a lighting brand (it also does furniture and storage) but its always one of the first places I think of for lighting. Take the Sofi light, above, a collection of smooth glass globes that glows with its amber tint, or the equally pendulous Bardot floor lamp, with its glass orb cantilevered on a slim gold base. Both are sensual and sensuous, and help to bathe rooms in a softness that can't be matched.
Where to buy: Bonaldo is available through a network of retailers in the UK, the biggest of which include Chaplins and Go Modern.
2. Bontempi
Bontempi's Circle Light is a modern take on the arched floor lamp.
Another Italian lighting brand that, well, isn't 'just' an Italian lighting brand (I can't help it if the alphabetically higher up ones are all polymaths), Bontempi is a brand I linger at during Salone del Mobile. It has a rich understanding for how to bend and sculpt materials into artistic shapes — catching the light as much as they catch the eye.
The Circle light, above, was a standout when it launched in Milan in 2023, and has sparked a lighting trend toward similarly shaped floor lamps. The way that it's slither-of-a-moon frame balances on a full-moon of stone is a feat of engineering, and the light it casts from its slender structure allows for a perfect pool from which to read by. The rings of the Comet ceiling light are just as impressive — ideal for encompassing a dining table or atrium.
Where to buy: Check Chaplins, Go Modern and Barker & Stonehouse
3. Catellani and Smith
The Enso Light feels like a sculpture as much as a table lamp.
When I saw the Enso lamp on the Cattelani and Smith stand at Euroluce in 2023 I instantly took a photo and sent it to the Livingetc team back in the office. "This is a work of art, and we should to feature it immediately," I said — it appeared in the next issue.
It's designed by Enzo Cattelani to look like a brush stroke made during a calligraphy class, inspired by his time in Japan. It's just one of the pieces Cattelani and Smith has that is an instant art installation the moment you display it — the award winning Ettorino is a primary-coloured angled lamp that takes inspiration from the work of Ettore Sottsass. I don't like to use the phrase 'statement lighting' as that implies a flashy bravado, and the pieces here are anything but that. Quite magical.
Where to buy: Sites such as Chaplins, Ambiente Direct, Made in Design, and David Village Lighting.
Showroom: Cattelani and Smith shares a showroom with Moroso in London's Clerkenwell: 7-15 Rosebery Ave. Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4SP.
4. Contardi
Contardi's Calypso does double duty as a
We have featured the Calypso lamp by Contardimany times in Livingetc. When it was first debuted at Eurloluce I included it in my report on the best of Milan Design Week, the way its witty shape is both a table and a lamp and its shade has so many graphic edges. And then it started appearing in several of the homes we were writing about, a modern design classic beloved for the way it totally transforms a dark corner.
And that's what Contardi is brilliant at — when it comes to where to buy table lamps, pendant lights and more, wit and charm and a cheekiness that could only come from this one Italian lighting brand. Also look out for the Audrey, a pendant named after the filmstar Hepburn and the way its shape is akin to her famous hat.
Where to buy: Chaplins, Go Modern, and Holloways of Ludlow all stock Contardi.
5. DePadova
De Padova's Helium light creates a dramatic central focal point for a room.
Part of the Boffi group, DePadova's lighting is just as sleek, smart, and covetable as the Italian kitchen brand that Boffi originally made its name with. In fact, perhaps more so, as De Padova can of course be used in every room, every space, and on every ceiling.
The Helium light, above, debuted during Salone in 2024, and was an immediate hit. Shown here as a single string, in the De Padova showroom it was hung as a cluster, great bursts of diamond-shaped Helium shapes, taking on an almost marine-like quality as they floated gently in the air. Their understated beauty is a trademark of De Padova, where you'll find lighting for every occasion.
Where to buy: Unlike many of the brands on this list, DePadova retails directly, and has a showroom you can visit in London's Chelsea.
Showroom: DePadova share a London showroom with sister brands Boffi and ADL: 72-74 Sloane Avenue SW33DZ, London.
5. Flos
Flos' IC design is an iconic lamp.
Its enduring partnership with the British designer Michael Anastassiades is perhaps what Flos is best known for (his IC floor lamp featured above), but actually its catalog stretches well beyond. Part of the same group as Livingetc favourite B&B Italia, its where you'll find instantly recognizable and iconic pieces such as the Snoopy lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Jasper Morrison's Tab table lamp.
But while these designs are familiar, they're ageless, working in mid-century and modern schemes alike. As Michael Anastassiades told me when I interviewed him last year: "I’ve always focused on timelessness, and timeless designs that will look as good in 20 years as they do today."
Where to buy: Flos is one of the more widely stocked Italian lighting brands, including by Heal's, Aram, and more.
6. Gallotti&Radice
Gallotti&Radice have a creative take on timeless design.
It wasn't that long ago that Gallotti&Radice was a brand that focused solely on glass making, yet now it consistently creates full collections of organically-shaped furniture, storage, and lights. I visited the apartment it has taken over in Milan, elegantly curated with Gallotti&Radice designs, centering around the Bolle Verticale pendant, above.
Like all of Gallotti&Radice's products the lighting is harmonious and pretty, adding a soft and delicate touch. The way that the Jolie Applique wall light, designed in 2019, refracts the light is, quite simply, exquisite.
Where to buy: The brand has a number of UK stockists, including Barker & Stonehouse and Chaplins.
7. Masiero
Opulence and extravagance are par for the course at Masiero, an Italian lighting brand that makes theatre as much as it does lights.
The Aqaba S, shown above, is a ballroom light for modern homes that don't have ballrooms but instead still want the all-out luxury of a twinkling chandelier. Meanwhile, the Royale S is a similarly show stopping piece made from lozenge-shaped onyx pieces.
Where to buy: Try Lightology and Net Lighting.
8. Porada
I've spent a lot of time in Porada showrooms in both the UK and Italy, running my hand over the smooth Canaletto walnut frames of its chairs, desks and beds. But the brand is also a go-to for lighting, with pieces like the Ekero, above, designed by Staffan Tollgard and the recipient of a Livingetc Style Award in 2022.
We wanted to honour it because of the interplay of its unusual proportions, the huge orb-like bulb and small marble base working together to play with scale cleverly. Elsewhere in Porada's collection you'll find equally smart work — the Bolla looking unobtrusive when switched off yet glowing radiantly when on.
Where to buy: Porada can be sourced from retailers such as Heal's and Chaplin's
Showrooms: Porada has a dedicated showroom in London's Chelsea Harbour. 103 Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, SW10 0XE, London.
9. SLAMP
It was on the SLAMP stand at the last Euroluce in 2023 that the ceiling was festooned with hundred of lit up tulips, each one as pretty as the one that wilts slowly in the Beauty and the Beast movie, and just as enchanting.
With partnerships with stars like Zaha Hadid, SLAMP is not afraid to be dramatic and daring, and is all the more exciting because of it.
Where to buy: Check out Lights.co.uk, Lumens, and Harrods.
Showrooms: Slamp's flagship store is in London: 9A Thurloe PI, South Kensington, London SW7 2RZ.
10. Zafferano
A wonderful source of affordable lighting, Zafferano has cornered the market on cordless and rechargeable lamps, making it a perfect brand for the flexibility of modern life.
But that's not to say it doesn't also do a good line in architectural wall lighting, made to work both indoors and out.
Where to buy: Maybe surprisingly, this Italian brand is best stocked on Amazon in the UK.