Martinelli Luce
Martinelli Luce is an Italian lighting manufacturer — founded in 1950 in Lucca (Tuscany) by Elio Martinelli. Elio grew up in a lighting company: his father Plinio Martinelli owned one in Lucca, and Elio in his youth built the first prototypes and developed his own lighting technologies. The beginning was handcrafted stage lighting for theatre productions; from this developed an increasingly focused interest in residential and functional lighting. Nature and geometry were and remain Elio Martinelli's enduring sources of inspiration: rigorously essential geometric forms from which surprisingly organic lamps emerge. Today Emiliana Martinelli (daughter of Elio Martinelli, architect and designer) leads the company as Managing Director together with her son Marco — three generations of family continuity. 2023: registration in the Special Register of Historical Trademarks of National Interest (Ministry of Economic Development).
Icons and awards: Cobra (Elio Martinelli, 1968 — MoMA New York, Triennale Milano), Serpente (Elio Martinelli, 1965 — reissued as Serpente 60, 2025), Pipistrello (Gae Aulenti, 1965 — MoMA, Triennale; dynamic telescopic movement, bat-wing diffuser), Ruspa (Gae Aulenti, 1968). Compasso d'Oro 2011 (Elica); iF Product Design Gold Award 2010 (Elica); numerous further iF Design Awards (Colibrì, Lunaop, Calabrone, Condor, Mamba, Elastica and others). Designer collaborations: Gae Aulenti, Sergio Asti, Paola Navone, Karim Rashid, Marc Sadler, Studio Natural, Brian Sironi, Luc Ramael. Three product lines: decorative lighting (residential), architectural lighting (contract: offices, shops, hotels, museums), outdoor lighting (weatherproof). Certifications: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015. New Milan showroom (Emiliana Martinelli + Dainelli Studio).
For architects and interior designers seeking for luxury residential, premium hospitality, museum, contract office and demanding architectural lighting projects a lighting manufacturer founded in Lucca (Tuscany) by Elio Martinelli in 1950 and today led in the third family generation (Emiliana and Marco Martinelli) that with icons such as Pipistrello (Gae Aulenti, 1965), Cobra (Elio Martinelli, 1968) and Serpente (Elio Martinelli, 1965) represented in MoMA and Triennale, the Compasso d'Oro 2011 (Elica), historical trademark register status (2023), designer collaborations from Gae Aulenti to Karim Rashid and three clearly differentiated product lines (decorative, architectural, outdoor) — Martinelli Luce carries the Tuscan lighting tradition with Pipistrello (Gae Aulenti, 1965) and Cobra (Elio Martinelli, 1968) in the permanent collections of MoMA and Triennale since 1950 onto the highest international stage: today in the third family generation, Compasso d'Oro 2011, historical trademark of national interest.
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Martinelli Luce
Martinelli Luce is an Italian lighting manufacturer — founded in 1950 in Lucca (Tuscany) by Elio Martinelli. Elio grew up in a lighting company: his father Plinio Martinelli owned one in Lucca, and Elio in his youth built the first prototypes and developed his own lighting technologies. The beginning was handcrafted stage lighting for theatre productions; from this developed an increasingly focused interest in residential and functional lighting. Nature and geometry were and remain Elio Martinelli's enduring sources of inspiration: rigorously essential geometric forms from which surprisingly organic lamps emerge. Today Emiliana Martinelli (daughter of Elio Martinelli, architect and designer) leads the company as Managing Director together with her son Marco — three generations of family continuity. 2023: registration in the Special Register of Historical Trademarks of National Interest (Ministry of Economic Development).
Icons and awards: Cobra (Elio Martinelli, 1968 — MoMA New York, Triennale Milano), Serpente (Elio Martinelli, 1965 — reissued as Serpente 60, 2025), Pipistrello (Gae Aulenti, 1965 — MoMA, Triennale; dynamic telescopic movement, bat-wing diffuser), Ruspa (Gae Aulenti, 1968). Compasso d'Oro 2011 (Elica); iF Product Design Gold Award 2010 (Elica); numerous further iF Design Awards (Colibrì, Lunaop, Calabrone, Condor, Mamba, Elastica and others). Designer collaborations: Gae Aulenti, Sergio Asti, Paola Navone, Karim Rashid, Marc Sadler, Studio Natural, Brian Sironi, Luc Ramael. Three product lines: decorative lighting (residential), architectural lighting (contract: offices, shops, hotels, museums), outdoor lighting (weatherproof). Certifications: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015. New Milan showroom (Emiliana Martinelli + Dainelli Studio).
For architects and interior designers seeking for luxury residential, premium hospitality, museum, contract office and demanding architectural lighting projects a lighting manufacturer founded in Lucca (Tuscany) by Elio Martinelli in 1950 and today led in the third family generation (Emiliana and Marco Martinelli) that with icons such as Pipistrello (Gae Aulenti, 1965), Cobra (Elio Martinelli, 1968) and Serpente (Elio Martinelli, 1965) represented in MoMA and Triennale, the Compasso d'Oro 2011 (Elica), historical trademark register status (2023), designer collaborations from Gae Aulenti to Karim Rashid and three clearly differentiated product lines (decorative, architectural, outdoor) — Martinelli Luce carries the Tuscan lighting tradition with Pipistrello (Gae Aulenti, 1965) and Cobra (Elio Martinelli, 1968) in the permanent collections of MoMA and Triennale since 1950 onto the highest international stage: today in the third family generation, Compasso d'Oro 2011, historical trademark of national interest.