Postcards from Milan: Lighting Trends and Design Delight
EVENTS
Each spring, Milan becomes the epicenter of global design innovation, and this year’s Salone del Mobile and Euroluce exhibitions delivered in dazzling form. Team LightForm was on the ground in full force, soaking up the atmosphere, forging new connections, and scouting the trends that will shape tomorrow’s interiors.
Team LightForm in Milan (from left: Jaime, Amy, Craig)
Alongside our Italian immersion, we also made a meaningful stop in Prague to visit our Czech partners at Bomma, an experience that deepened our appreciation for the artistry of glass and the boundary-pushing potential of contemporary lighting.
Read more about our visit to Bomma: Blown Away in Prague
Personal Notes from Jaime, Craig, and Amy
For Craig, our resident Calgarian design connoisseur, Milan is familiar territory. “I’m not easily impressed these days,” he admits, “but Ingo Maurer still made me smile.” For him, standouts included edgy, art-driven releases from Italamp, Bonaldo, Carpyen, and Rakumba, an exciting potential brand partner. He also noted the buzz around the latest Nemo release: the Zirkol, now IP65 and North America-certified, which could be a game changer for outdoor lighting.
The Zirkol from Nemo is now IP65, suited for outdoors, and certified for North America, one of Craig’s highlights
Jaime Bishop, our VP of Sales, echoed a similar sentiment. “After so many years in the industry, it takes a lot to truly surprise Craig and me. We’ve seen plenty of impressive concepts that never make it to market. So when something manages to be both innovative and commercially viable, it stands out.”
Like Craig, Jaime was charmed by Ingo Maurer’s playful novelties this year. “Their little surfer figurines embedded inside the fixtures were such a fun, unexpected detail,” she noted. “Ingo Maurer has always been the designers’ designer, the brand veteran architects admire, but what they brought to Milan this year had a youthful, fresh energy that was hard not to be delighted by.”
The Nalum, designed by Sebastian Hepting for Ingo Maurer
Close-ups of the fun details in the The Nalum design from Ingo Maurer
Meanwhile, Amy approached the trip with fresh eyes and full-throttle wonder. “The whole thing felt like Disneyland for design lovers,” she said. “Being surrounded by four massive buildings filled with lighting design was surreal.” Her big ‘aha’ moment came from sculptural installations that flipped the idea of lighting from function to form, like the mesh cloud-like piece at a-emotional and Lasvit’s glowing, glass-based waterforms.
Brétema, the cloud-like installation from a-emotional light
Lasvit’s glowing glass forms that resemble splashes of water
Jaime agreed, citing the massive, immersive installations as some of the most impressive aspects of the week. One that stood out in particular for her was the Japanese furniture brand Daft about Draft, whose installation was both captivating and conceptually rich.
Bomma also hosted one of the most talked-about cocktail parties of the week. Jaime described the event as “well attended and spectacular.” Another memorable highlight was the collaboration between Lladro and Lee Broom. “They pulled out all the stops: signature cocktails, gourmet canapés, and of course, their collaborative lighting series is not only stunning but also commercially viable, versatile, and modular. I can’t wait for us to get our hands on it in Canada.”
Lladro and Lee Broom’s collaboration installation
Together, they didn’t just bring back inspiration; they brought fascinating insights.
Our time in Milan reaffirmed why we’re passionate about what we do: bringing bold, world-class lighting to the North American design community. Whether you’re designing a tranquil home, a statement-making hospitality space, or an outside-the-box workplace, we can help you light your vision.
Need to see more beautiful lighting you can incorporate to your projects now? Discover more lights inspired by our trip to Milan.
Read more about our Notes from Milan: Key Trends to Watch
Read more about our visit to Bomma: Blown Away in Prague
