Viabizzuno
At their ever-impressive showroom in central Milan, VBO showcased some seriously impressive new lighting products this year. These collections come as collaborative efforts with internationally renowned designers, and we begin with Dorte Mandrup. Oltre is a suspension light fitting for indoor use made of polished aluminium and onyx, polished aluminium and pink marble. The effect of this composition of materials is mesmerising, even achieving an optical illusion from a certain angle when the mirror creates the impression that the object’s dimensions as a whole are extended. Individual pieces of the stone are adjustable and removable, meaning that slight variations in vertical fitting create wholly different cadences in the lit piece. Oltre is luxurious and customisable at one and the same time.
Meanwhile, Peter Zumthor has lent his esteemed hand to the creation of Lenticchia 750. With hacca silver and sandblasted glass finishes, these pieces are unique and made entirely by hand by master glassmakers. The light is an indoor suspension composed of this glass and oxidised aluminium lamp body, sandblasted internally and externally. It holds a strong presence and can emit a strong light too, making it fit for use as a statement piece in a central space.
Finally, Snøhetta has also worked with Viabizzuno, this time in crafting Aura. Another suspension light for indoor use, it’s made of polymethyl methacrylate, a highly transparent material, and aluminium, then features a transparent, chrome-plated finish.
Viabizzuno is available in Australia through VBO Australia
Ross Gardam
Set within a historic, humble venue in historic Brera, Ross Gardam’s LUMINESCENT DUALITY was a true standout at Milan Design Week 2025 – as both an installation in its own right and in terms of pure product focus. With quotes from René Descartes framing the whole, this was a decidedly atmospheric, philosophical and continental affair, with the Melbourne-based designer’s lights feeling absolutely at home in this heritage Milan setting. “I will now close my eyes, stop my ears, and withdraw all my senses,” wrote Descartes. “I will consider these ideas purely within myself…” Stepping into Gardam’s LUMINESCENT DUALITY, it was quite easy to undergo one’s very own experience of sensory focus.
Photography by De Pasquale + Maffini.
Perhaps the most arresting piece is Relic, a non-reflective mirror-like surface that presents a monolithic cone with mesmerising depth and which plays on the sheer luminosity of glass. The materiality lends a monumental presence to the object, whose cast crystal glass brings a perceptible weight and tangibility. In keeping with the Cartesian context, the light itself seems to become materialised as the glass amplifies it. Relic, limited to an edition of just ten, is a brutalist light arising from a unique collaboration between Gardam and glass sculptor, Peter Kovacsy. Each sculptural glasswork is paired with a raw aluminium base and a meticulously machined conical dimmer – handcrafted, polished and waxed with great attention to detail.
Meanwhile, two new product collections debuted at Gardam’s space in Milan. Aeris and Solace both feature mouth-blown glass in new forms paired with brass architectural framing. The former is inspired by “the ethereal beauty of clouds,” achieving softness, lightness and even a sense of weightlessness through its forms as well as the composition of the whole (it can be paired with natural hand-rubbed brass, bronze or blackened brass and used as a chandelier, pendant, wall light or table lamp). Indeed, the brass structural elements define each piece, allowing for the gentle light to then take bask in its own gentle ambience.
Solace continues Gardam’s exploration of geometric form and illuminated surrealism. It’s a glass tear designed to transform with movement, based around the interplay of two perpendicular, intersecting circles. A subtly textured example of innovative glassblowing work, Solace is available as pendant and table lamp, and with a selection of mouth-blown glass finishes.
Ross Gardam is available in Australia through Stylecraft
DCWéditions
The Paris-based brand is doing all kinds of fascinating things with their lighting pieces – which they refer to as objects, rather than products. Often playful and delicate yet always functional, these objects provided another highlight of Milan Design Week 2025 with a popular stand at the Euroluce fair.
It’s not hard to find standout lighting collections with DCWéditions – and we begin, fittingly, with one described as “paying homage to the Sun King.” In The Sun Table 220 is designed by Dominique Perrault and Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost, who developed the object as part of the renovation of the Pavillion Dufour at the Chateau de Versailles. Achieving a sense of delicateness and refinement, the object gives radiant light and a sophisticated interplay of shadows, while the full In The Sun collection can be wall-mounted, used as a ceiling lamp or as a hanging piece. The collection radiates rich hues of gold and silver while casting soft shadows (it’s also a delight to handle and touch).
In The Sun.
Elsewhere, La Lampe B by Thierry Dreyfus has been crafted “to light up the intimate” and to light up the night. Belle de jour, belle de nuit as they say – beautiful by day and by night. The reason is that, despite the modern sculptural form, this is a lighting object designed with the timeless candle in mind. It’s a deliberately soft sculpture that keeps its light to the inner part of the object, then radiating soft light that could be a tasteful fit in a wide array of settings.
DCWéditions is available in Australia through Winnings
Rakumba
Representing Australia via Europe in more ways than one – designers Studio Truly Truly are Brisbane natives but today work out of the Netherlands – Big Glow by Rakumba was noticeable from afar in Milan this year. As a unique blend of non-woven wool and bio-plastic, Big Glow takes the classic design archetype of a glowing sphere and adds new layers of innovation and inspiration. It’s both uniquely Australian and global, all the while maintaining inspiration from that one timeless source: the sun itself.
More specifically, it’s the Australian sun, and the natural settings of Australia more generally, that have inspired the new product. Kate and Joel of Studio Truly Truly explain further: “Growing up in Australia, we both experienced a plenitude of sunlight. In sunny Queensland, the struggle can at times be too much light! It’s a powerful white light, present much of the year. It wasn’t until we had lived in Europe for a little while that we realised deep down, on a subconscious level, we were yearning for the sun.”
Big Glow has been made possible with the support and expertise offered by Woolmark, Australia’s global authority on wool, and it’s ultimately through multiple sources of international collaboration that the distinctive light has made its way to a central scene at Milan Design Week 2025. Its presence is both visual and physical, with its rich texture tempting passers-by to touch. Big Glow is perhaps also notable for being unusual in the wider context of this year’s Euroluce launches, with many other stands and collections dominated by glass and metal work.
Rakumba is available in Australia through Cosh Living and Est Lighting
CTO Lighting
British luxury lighting brand CTO Lighting exhibited their pieces in a beautifully restrained stand at the Euroluce fair in Milan as well as in the Brera Design District. At the heart of the new designs on show was materiality, particularly in the form of highly refined glass and metal work as well as thoughtfully selected stone.
The combination with stone is especially notable in the new CERES collection, which draws inspiration from NASA’s Dawn Findings at Ceres. The discovery of light elements there on the small solar planet is interpreted into a contemporary chandelier with the CERES Pendant, with its strong architectural and sculptural presence. A luminous alabaster ring – porous enough to softly diffuse light – floats beneath a contoured metal dome, while an antique bronze finish highlights the hand-satined metal. Meanwhile, the same basic form is inverted for the CERES Uplighter, though this time the alabaster is removed and the frame is instead pointed upwards for further ambient lighting.
The TRACE collection has an altogether different presence, rather playful and rhythmic. Inspired by the natural world and the work of sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, it allows for an endless number of configurations that create new lines for the eye to trace. Curved strands hold unique veiled glass shades, which use a combination of liquid opal and pulegoso techniques and allow for highly varied formal compositions as well as use across both residential and commercial settings. The collection is available in bronze and antique bronze, and the light’s overall metal-and-glass composition is certain to provide a focal point in a prominent space.
CTO Lighting is available in Australia through Winnings
Pedrali
The reliably delightful Italian brand teamed up with Japanese designer Yusuke Kawai this year for one of its many collaborative launches. Kawai is notable for its modular design and can be happily used for both residential or commercial spaces, achieving everything from a casual to formal look depending on its configuration and setting.
Kawara takes its name from the traditional Japanese tile that adorns the triangular roofs of sacred buildings in Japan. The collection is available as pendant, horizontal or vertical, as well as a floor version. With its traditional influences, though, what nevertheless makes Kawai especially striking is its modular versatilty – the fundamental choice is between a single continuous element in extruded aluminium or adjustable modules connected by small joining rings. These options allow, respectively, for a technical, clean and essential appearance or more precise light directions and a more playful effect.
Pedrali is available in Australia through Innerspace, Own World and Estilo
Foscarini
With a strong installation presence across both the Euroluce and Fuorisalone as well as the city showroom, Foscarini also launched a number of new collections at Milan Design Week. There was a particular theme of chandelier reinterpretation, starting with Allumette and Tilia by Francesca Lanzavecchia. These products showcase two complementary visions: on one hand, playing with the softness of the cables and the rigid geometry of the arms for a certain asymmetric balance; and, on the other, one that takes its cue from the laws that govern natural formations, organically developed with pliant lines.
Chandelier Asteria, meanwhile, is a contemporary suspension lamp designed by Alberto and Francesco Meda. It reduces the chandelier to its essential parts, with curved aluminium arms and a minimal but expressive design. Also by Alberto and Francesco Meda, Panarea, Alicudi and Filicudi (below) form a collection of suspension lamps in recycled lava, an innovative experiment for the lighting sector based on recycling of waste from the crafting of volcanic stone.
Foscarini is available in Australia through Space Furniture
FLOS
Italian lighting leaders Flos collaborated with a number of high-profile designers for Milan 2025 launches – indeed, quite a few of them were interviewees of our own during video coverage of Salone del Mobile! New collections include the modular glass pendants Luce Sferica and Luce Cilindrica by Ronan Bouroullec, defined by their lightness and poetry; the Maap wall lamp by Erwan Bouroullec, made from Tyvek and as pliable as a sheet of paper; Jam Session, an ironic floor lamp by Piero Lissoni, configurable with multiple heads; an updated release of the iconic Bon Jour Unplugged by Philippe Starck; and the poetic Linked collection, a modular glass system by Michael Anastassiades.
Formafantasma designed the stand at Euroluce and the installation at the showroom on Corso Monforte, while the city flagship store pays tribute to the company’s heritage with two editions by Tobia Scarpa. “This is a decidedly non-invasive intervention that relates not only to the architecture of the showroom but also to the external portico”, say Formafantasma. “The interior features fabric partitions that act as portals. When opened, they reveal either key components of the SuperWire design or three videos illustrating the creative process behind the lamp.”
Flos is available in Australia through Living Edge and Euroluce
Read about our wider product launch highlights from Milan Design Week 2025