Catellani & Smith: "We have all the light we need to overcome the darkness."

The ironic and creative personality of Enzo Catellani was the initial spark for the birth of historical design objects, well known and appreciated all over the world. The irony of this brilliant mind is even identified in the name of the company, in which "Smith" was nothing but Enzo's horse. The desire to get involved and create innovative products, experimenting with materials and maintaining an artisan production, are today the basis of the design lighting brand Catellani & Smith. But Enzo Catellani is not a designer: he is the creator of his success thanks to inventiveness, creativity and experimentation.

This brand from Villa di Serio, in Bergamo, was founded in 1989, when Enzo Catellani, then owner of a lamp shop, decided to create his own. Giving his ideas a solid shape with iron, Enzo gets his first creation: "Turciù". The lamp is noticed by distributors from Düsseldorf and is brought to Frankfurt to an important fair, where it get and immediate success. From that moment on, Catellani & Smith becomes more and more famous. They create the "Luci d'Oro" collection, in which a reflection on the color of light and its refraction takes the upper hand. Collaborations, exhibitions and awards have increased over the years, and historic icons such as "Fil de Fer", "Macchina della luce" or "Lucenera" are born. Today these lamps with a modern and innovative design illuminate museums such as the Victoria Albert in London, restaurants and ateliers, shops and trendy clubs all over the world.

CATELLANI & SMITH TODAY

"Surprising at the beginning. Consolidated today. This is the synthesis of our success. Always lived with humility, as a commitment to respect our customers." This is how Enzo Catellani defines his company. Catellani & Smith has now become an international symbol of design and avant-garde in the complex world of lighting production.

"We do not want to follow patterns and conventions, but only the purity of the idea and of the inspiration. We surrender to our passion and we act even before designing, experimenting with light, armed with unstoppable curiosity." This is the fundamental characteristic of Catellani & Smith: the craftsmanship of its lamps. Every single piece is produced by hand by skilled craftsmen who work in the company's laboratory, maintaining artisan rigor and attention to a production with the product in the center. "No drawings - explains Enzo - I imagine in my mind and I think of the materials with which to create the work. Then I start experimenting and create a prototype that is then tested. I use elementary forms, I prefer materials that are easy to find and do not require serial production ". The perfection of the details, the care in the work and the idea that the light can be told to everybody are essential affirmation of a modus operandi made of head, hands and heart, aimed at creating unique and unrepeatable works of art.    In support of these statements, just quote a few numbers: for the production of "Fil de Fer" thousands of meters of twisted wire are used; for a medium-sized lamp, about 60 cm in diameter, around 470 meters of wire are required, for a 7hour processing of each lamp.

One of Catellani & Smith's latest projects is linked to LED light technology. "I've been researching for four years and the use of LED has been a revolution: it means creating without having to turn around the bulb, interpreting new forms of light". By renewing its catalog and adapting most of the lamps to an LED light source, Catellani & Smith approaches new energy-saving technologies.

"The light makes the light bulb.

We create the lamp that shapes that light.

We build with our hands. So every lamp is that lamp.

We have all the light we need to overcome the darkness." Enzo Catellani