Continuing our journey around the world’s most influential interior design traditions: it’s time for some Italian style. From ancient Rome to postmodern Memphis, here’s how Italy’s design legacy has shaped interiors – and of course, lighting…
We know it’s not a competition but… who would argue that, when it comes to design and style, Italy is hard to beat? From fashion to cars, from espresso machines to furniture, Italy—Milan in particular—has produced some of the world’s most enduring design classics. And that goes for interiors, too. Not bad for a country that’s less than 200 years old.
So how has Italy managed to maintain such a consistently stellar reputation for great design? We’ve been exploring the story of Italian interiors—from ancient inspirations to modern icons—and we’ve created a capsule lighting collection that brings a little sprezzatura to your home.
Italian Style – The Origins
It’s widely believed that Italy’s love affair with design and gracious living has its roots in the Renaissance, particularly in the wealthy city-states of Venice, Rome, Florence and Ferrara. The Medici, the Strozzi, the Sforza and the Rucellai didn’t believe in hiding their wealth—they commissioned the finest architects of the day to create splendid buildings, including palatial homes. Renaissance design drew on the classical principles of Ancient Greece and Rome, adapting them for a new age.
Which brings us to Ancient Rome. To understand Italy’s interior aesthetic, we need to travel back a little further and explore how well-to-do Romans spent their denarii. Thanks to historians like Pliny and Suetonius—and a fair few excavations—we know quite a lot.
Marble was widely used but often painted or gilded. From around 150 BC, wall painting became increasingly popular, with plastered walls mimicking masonry in vivid hues—yellow, red, magenta, black—and trompe l’oeil views that expanded space. Floors were richly patterned with mosaics, and elegant couches were draped with cushions. Lighting came from bronze lamps. Veneers like ivory and silver adorned furniture, and imported textiles—silks, tapestries, rugs—added luxury and color. Bronze was everywhere.
Renaissance designers absorbed all this, none more so than Andrea Palladio (1508–1580), whose neoclassical villas, including Villa Capra (La Rotonda), became a blueprint for stylish homes—and continue to influence designers worldwide.
20th-Century Icons – and Beyond
Italy’s second design renaissance arrived in the 20th century, when a new generation responded to the demands of a fast-changing industrial world. Here are just a few giants from that extraordinary era:
Gio Ponti (1891–1979) was an architect, industrial designer, publisher and teacher. In 1928, he founded the iconic magazine Domus, and went on to design some of the 20th century’s most striking buildings, including the Pirelli tower in Milan. His Superleggera chair—so light a child could lift it with one finger—was a modern masterpiece.
Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988) was a Milanese artist who created over 13,000 pieces. Most famous are his surreal, whimsical designs based on 19th-century opera singer Lina Cavalieri. His Tema e Variazioni plates—nearly 400 versions—have been endlessly imitated but never equaled.
Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007), Austrian-born and Italian by design destiny, became a radical force. After a stint in the U.S., he returned to Milan and helped spark the Memphis Group in 1980—a postmodern rebellion that blended Art Deco, Pop Art and 1950s kitsch with bold, clashing color. Some called it a passing fad. Forty years later, its influence is everywhere.
Gaetano Pesce (b. 1939) has built a career on playful experimentation. His inventive seating designs—like the sculptural UP series and felt-and-resin Feltri—are colorful, unexpected, and always thought-provoking.
Cristina Celestino (b. 1980) represents the new guard. A trained architect, she launched her studio, Attico Design, in 2010. Her interiors for hotels, exhibitions and homes are modern, comfortable and richly layered. She also happens to collect classic Italian design from the 1950s to ’70s—mostly lamps. (We approve.)
Get the Italian-Style Look with Pooky Lighting
First up in Pooky’s tribute to Italy is our Hernan table lamp, with echoes of Italy’s industrial design heritage. Made from antiqued brass and bronze—Ancient Rome meets modern Milan—it’s versatile, robust and rechargeable, so you can take it anywhere.
Italy is world famous for its chandeliers (read more about the history here), many still handmade in Murano.
Our Capulet chandelier nods to Juliet’s Renaissance Verona, while for a touch of Venetian glamour, there’s the Francesco chandelier in pink glass: 110 crystal quadriedri shimmering in perfect harmony. A showstopper for those with truly exquisite taste…
You’ll find a similar exuberance—with a touch of postmodern Memphis—in our Mildred table lamp in hot chilli.
And finally, the Franco mirror: a superbly carved wooden mantelpiece mirror in antiqued gold leaf. Just the thing if you’re putting on your own ballo in maschera.
