FontanaArte coffee tables

The highly accomplished architect Gio Ponti joined Luigi Fontana as art director in 1931.

The following year, glassmaker Pietro Chiesa also joined the company and soon the design duo established the Italian lighting brand FontanaArte, bringing a new combination of light and design to the home with a fine sense of craftsmanship.

Architectural lighting design attracts the market

In 1933, Chiesa designed the Luminator floor lamp, reminiscent of a torch in both shape and direction of the light source; its innovative design made it an obvious sales success. Chiesa continued to impress under the FontanaArte name, designing the first version of the 006 wall lamp, a new take on the classic lamp. His quirky, personal and innovative take on the new look puts the traditional chandelier with classic candles on the design map.

In the 1950s, Frenchman Max Ingrand - famous for his stained glass windows in churches -took on the role of art director, and led FontanaArte into the industrial age. As a result of the economic downturn, the company reached out to more and more customers in different strata of society. The market moved from one-off and original design products to mass production; from craftsmanship to a decidedly industrial process. Ingrand ensured that the company was at the forefront of the emerging intensive industrial production, but retained the important vision of using skilled craftsmanship in design production.

The key to the company’s success is, of course, its association with the attractive top names of Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa and Gae Aulenti. That said, FontanaArte is also not shy about bringing in students from design schools and recruiting young professional designers. A major new initiative from the company was unveiled in 2013, reworking its tradition with a focus on the contemporary. The same year, they also presented a new generation of international designers, embracing traditional esthetics combined with smart solutions for everyday life.