Vallonné Lamp Collection Breaks the Rules

Innovation and tradition. Rigid and free. Repeatable and unique. Vallonné and Vallonné Opale, two new collections of suspension lamps from Barovier&Toso designed by Luca Nichetto, balance opposing forces.

Barovier&Toso is a 700-year-old company specializing in Murano glass-blown lighting. To keep their traditions alive the company continues to innovate and modernize, prompting them to ask Luca to break the rules.

Luca grew up in Murano, an island just outside of Venice that is known for glassmaking. His grandfather made chandeliers and many of his friends and family also worked in the industry. When he was approached by Barovier&Toso, he said he was both honored and scared.

Luca started by drawing inspiration from time-tested processes. He was drawn to the way blown glass inflates and was inspired by caged lanterns, which have a metal frame that glass is blown into and becomes embedded in the design. Nichetto and the Barovier&Toso team found a way to use metal cages to shape the lamps—but without leaving them in the final products. The result is a lamp with precise lines and soft curves that expand from them.

Luca says he’s very happy with the way the collection turned out. One of his favorite views is from the bottom of the lamp, seeing a kaleidoscope-like effect as light bounces around the glass. “This is the magic in creating light with glass,” he says. “You are always surprised in the moment that you turn on the lights, if what you imagined is really happening. And most of the time, it’s better than what was in my imagination.”