Stilnovo: Innovative lighting art

Italy, with its rich cultural history and artistic heritage, has given the world many brilliant design treasures. One such is Stilnovo, a lighting brand whose story and aesthetics have fascinated and inspired generations.

Masters of the new style

Stilnovo was founded in 1946 by Bruno Gatta in post-war Milan, and three years later his brother Paolo Gatta joined the company. The brand's name, 'Stilnovo', translates as 'New Style' in Italian and reflected the aspiration in society at the time to break with the past and redefine modern design.

Prominent collaborations

In the mid-20th century, Italy was revolutionizing design, and Stilnovo's chief designer Angelo Gaetano Sciolari played a key role in this era. Under the leadership of the Gatta and Sciolari brothers, the company assembled a team of talented designers and engineers to create lighting solutions that uniquely combined aesthetics and functionality. Stilnovo collaborated with some of the most recognized names in design, including Ettore Sottsass, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Joe Colombo and Gae Aulenti.

Material innovations

They were not only pioneering in terms of design, but also in how they worked with materials. The brand was known for exploring different materials and combining them in unexpected ways. Metal, glass and plastic were skillfully used to create lamps that were not only functional light sources but also works of art.

One of the most significant innovations was the use of acrylic glass. Stilnovo introduced acrylic glass prisms to create stunning lighting effects, and this pioneering use of materials was at the heart of many of their design masterpieces.

A suite of classics

From the late 1950s onwards, a series of lamps were designed under the Stilnovo brand that would become iconic design classics, and feel as modern and relevant today. Here are some of them.

Sputnik

One of Stilnovo's most iconic creations is the 'Sputnik lamp', created by Stilnovo's in-house design team in 1957. This groundbreaking ceiling light, with its protruding arms and glowing spheres, was a tribute to the adventures of the space age and symbolized a future full of possibilities and innovation.

Saliscendi

Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni's 1957 Saliscendi pendant lamp is one of the brand's most famous products. The year after its creation, two unique pieces were designed for the Milan Chamber of Commerce, and the ceiling light has received many awards during its lifetime.

Megafono

The iconic Megafono lighting series was developed by Stilnovo's in-house design team in 1958. The series consists of a smaller and a larger ceiling lamp, as well as a table lamp and two wall lamps. The look is reminiscent of megaphones with cone-shaped metal shades that emit light in both directions.

Galassia

Designed in 1959 by Stilnovo, the Galassia series is sophisticated rather than playful, and the white triplex blown glass globes rest on a brass structure with galvanic gilding, lending elegance to the rooms in which it is placed.

Buonanotte

When the 1960s arrived, Stilnovo experienced such a boom that the company opened a new production facility in Lainate. One of its most famous lamps, Giovani Luigi Gorgoni's quirky spherical Buonanotte table lamp from 1965, became a bestseller. Thanks to its playful design with adjustable shades, the lamp's light can be adjusted to suit your needs. Open the shades to read a book or close them to dim the light during movie night.

Valigia

The Valigia four-legged table lamp is a playful and practical portable lamp. It was designed by Ettore Sottsass in 1977 with a symbolic invitation to travel. Valigia is the Italian word for suitcase and just as the name suggests, the lamp is meant to be taken anywhere.

Fante

Designed in 1978, the Fante table lamp has an adjustable reflector that playfully resembles a wide-brimmed hat. The shade controls not only the downward light but also the indirect diffused light. Behind the design are the designers De Pas, D'Urbino and Lomazzi. Fante was also designed as a ceiling lamp in 1980.

Minibox

The Minibox table lamp was designed by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castiglioni in 1981. The lamp, which is made of metal and has a luminous 'eye', is reminiscent of the type of lantern used in mines in the past. The lamp head is attached with magnets and can therefore be easily reoriented in any direction.

Technology of our time

Bruno Gatta passed away in 1976, but even after his death Stilnovo continued with successful design collaborations and launches of iconic classics, before closing its doors in 1988. A little more than two decades later, in 2012, Italian art director Massimo Anselmi acquired the company in 2012 and the business resumed.

Then, in 2019, lighting giant Linea Light Group acquired Stilnovo and relaunched its classic design with modernized elements such as LED lighting systems. The meeting of Linea Light and Stilnovo brings together two brands, one that has shaped the history of Italian design, and another that emerged only thirty years ago and has become a major player on the modern scene. With great respect for the original products, modern performance is added, resulting in a perfect symbiosis of experience and innovation.

Today, Stilnovo's lighting from the 1960s and 70s is considered iconic cult design and the future looks bright - the contemporary lamps consolidate Stilnovo's position at the forefront and will become the coveted collectibles of tomorrow.

Explore the Stilnovo collection here

Products featured in the post:

Triedro Table/Wall Clamp Lamp

Stilnovo

Galassia Suspension

Stilnovo

Valigia

Stilnovo