FontanaArte

FontanaArte – The harmonious combination of timeless aesthetics and functionality

FontanaArte's specialties are the small Italian high-quality pieces of furniture and home accessories made of glass. The design lights are the highlights in its portfolio. This traditional company is one of the world's leading manufacturers in this field. Over time, the company based in Corsico has launched many light fixtures, which are now considered as timeless designer classics and are still in production like the table lamp Giova or the floor lamp Luminator. Some of these light fixtures are part of a collection or are exhibited in famous museums around the world. Many light fixtures by FontanaArte have been awarded design prizes such as the red dot award, the iF product design award etc. FontanaArte also develops lighting concepts for private and public spaces like restaurants, museums and theaters for example the Teatro Civico in Tortona. The company also designs outdoor lighting concepts as can be seen on the Piazza San Giovanni in Gubbio.

FontanaArte – Ongoing success since 1881

The luxury brand has existed since 1881. At that time, Luigi Fontana founded a plate-glass manufacturing company. Later its program also comprised decorative objects for interior design. The designer and architecture professor Gio Ponti joined the company in 1931. FontanaArte thrived in the following years by manufacturing small designer pieces of furniture and home accessories made of glass. Together with the glass master Pietro Chiesa, Gio Ponti decided to separate FontanaArte from Luigi Fontana's company in 1932. The manufacturing of designer lights and other furnishings. The company was acquired by Nice SpA in 2010. The brand has been owned by the ItalianCreationGroup, which unites several high-end Italian design companies since October 2016.

Exclusive design and sturdy craftsmanship

Fontana light fixtures and home accessories appeal with aesthetics paired with function and a timeless design. Because of its long history, the brand plays a major role in the history of Italian design. Glass is the main material of the Fontana light fixtures featuring the manual know-how of glass masters, who are able to produce light fixtures employing very traditional methods. Not only the light fixtures but also the furniture by FontanaArte is manufactured with great care. They combine a beautiful appearance with functionality. Whether matching floor lamps, suspensions and table lamps in the same series or a glass table on wheels, each design by FontanaArte attractively meets the challenges of daily life.

Light fixtures by FontanaArte – a range of products with a long tradition

There is a large range of light fixtures by FontanaArte. Some have been designed by renowned designers like Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa and Max Ingrand. The portfolio includes designer classics, some of which were designed at the very beginning of the company, and other feature new designs, characterised by the latest technical developments. The table lamp Bilia was designed by Gio Ponti in 1931. It has a glass sphere on top of a metallic cone. The floor and suspension lamps in the series 0024, based on a design made by Ponti in 1932, are composed of several horizontal glass plates arranged on top of each other. The Fontana light designed by Sergio Asti in 1968 made such a big impression on the world of design, that it is now exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It has a compact, simple shape which is fully illuminated. An example of the new lights is for example the LED lights Siptel by Giulio Iacchetti, whose lighting body can be moved by using a magnet. The modern LED technique is also applied in Volée by Odo Fioravanti. This light by FontanaArte is equipped with a movement detector for switching the light on and off.

Furniture and accessories of glass – successful designer classics

Beside light fixtures, FontanaArte also has small pieces of furniture and accessories in its portfolio. There are also designer classics dating back from the beginning in this division. One of them is Tavolino, a table which features two round glass discs, designed by Gio Ponti in 1932. That same year Pietro Chiesa created the vase Cartoccio, an extraordinary home accessory composed of glass plates with multiple bends. The table Fontana is a popular classic, also designed by Pietro Chiesa. The couch table available in four sizes is made solely of a thick glass plate which has been bent twice. Gae Aulenti who was the art director of the company for many years is also responsible for the tables on wheels. She designed the table Tavolo con Ruote on freely rotating wheels in 1980. She developed it further in 1993 and created the table Tour, a higher, extraordinary version on bicycle wheels.