Luxury lighting brands: the houses to know from A to Z

A luxury lighting house is a publisher or workshop that designs and produces lamps where light quality, materials and form are treated with the same care as fine furniture. From Murano glassworks and Bohemian crystal to Milanese publishers, Danish manufacturers and New York studios, this A to Z brings together the houses to know: Barovier & Toso and Baccarat for crystal, Flos and Artemide for modern Italian design, Louis Poulsen and Le Klint for Scandinavian light, Lindsey Adelman and Apparatus for sculptural pieces, Lee Broom and Tom Dixon for British boldness. For the fundamentals of choosing and placing a light, start with our designer lighting guide.

Gone are the days of purely functional light fittings. Today’s great houses create lamps that work as sculpture, wall art or collectible pieces. Whether you are looking for the Scandinavian restraint of Louis Poulsen, the New York sophistication of Lindsey Adelman, the British craftsmanship of CTO Lighting or the Italian innovation of Flos, this alphabetical selection points you to the best international addresses. From Bohemian crystal to sculpted bronze, from Murano glass to alabaster, here is the world of exceptional lighting.

A

&Tradition 🇩🇰

Copenhagen publisher founded in 2010, combining reissues of Danish classics with contemporary creations. &Tradition brought back lamps such as Verner Panton’s Flowerpot and works with designers including Jaime Hayon and Space Copenhagen. Marble, brass and blown glass give its collections a warm, contemporary Scandinavian elegance, with an excellent balance between quality and price.

Production: Denmark (design) with selected European manufacturers

Allied Maker 🇺🇸

New York workshop making contemporary lights in brass, bronze and opal glass. Every piece is shaped by hand in its Long Island and Brooklyn ateliers, where traditional metalwork meets clean, minimalist lines. A reference for American craftsmanship applied to lighting, with meticulous attention to detail and finish.

Production: United States (New York), handmade

Apparatus Studio 🇺🇸

New York house founded in 2012 by Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson, making sculptural lights in patinated brass, marble, alabaster and glass. Collections such as Cloud, Triad and Metronome sit at the crossroads of jewellery and architecture. Hand-patinated brass and translucent stone give the pieces a soft, almost ritual light, produced in limited quantities for architects and collectors.

Production: United States (New York), artisanal workshop

Artemide 🇮🇹

Milanese house founded in 1960 by Ernesto Gismondi and Sergio Mazza, a pioneer of technological lighting design. Its catalogue includes some of the most influential lamps of the twentieth century: Richard Sapper’s Tizio (1972), the Tolomeo by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina (1987), Giancarlo Mattioli’s Nessino (1967), and more recently Naoto Fukasawa’s Demetra or Neri&Hu’s Yanzi. Read our full portrait of Artemide.

Production: Italy (Pregnana Milanese)

Atelier Areti 🇬🇧🇸🇪

Anglo-Swedish studio making minimalist geometric lights inspired by modernism. Brass, marble and opal glass are assembled into balanced, archetypal forms with a quiet, almost meditative elegance. Pieces made in small series for those who like pure geometry and precise craftsmanship.

Production: Europe, specialist workshops

B

Baccarat 🇫🇷

French crystal works founded in 1764 in Lorraine, holder of the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label. For more than 250 years, Baccarat has cut and engraved crystal by hand. Its chandeliers, from the famous Zénith to bespoke pieces for palaces and grand hotels, remain the reference for brilliance and purity in art crystal.

Production: France (Baccarat, Lorraine)

Baguès 🇫🇷

Parisian house of art bronze founded in 1840. Baguès is known for its gilded bronze and crystal chandeliers and sconces, made for private mansions, palaces and prestige projects. Nearly two centuries of bronze casting and chasing make it one of the great names of the French chandelier.

Production: France (Paris), traditional bronze workshops

Barovier & Toso 🇮🇹

Murano glassworks whose family roots go back to 1295, often cited as one of the oldest family businesses in the world. Its chandeliers and sconces are mouth-blown by master glassmakers, combining centuries-old Venetian techniques with contemporary design. Shimmering colours, organic forms and technical virtuosity define its style.

Production: Italy (Murano, Venice)

Bec Brittain 🇺🇸

New York designer who founded her studio in 2011. Her lights, such as SHY and Helix, combine faceted crystal, gilded metal and LED in geometric compositions that sculpt light with a jeweller’s precision. Produced in very limited series, her pieces sit between lighting and art.

Production: United States (New York)

Bocci 🇨🇦

Vancouver house founded in 2005, specialising in experimental blown glass. Its series, from the 14 to the famous 28, turn glass into a living material: each sphere is unique, blown and shaped in a process that leaves room for chance. Bocci’s cascading installations have become a signature of contemporary architecture.

Production: Canada (Vancouver) and Germany (Berlin)

Bower Studios 🇺🇸

New York studio making solid brass lights with refined modernist lines. Inspired by mid-century design and architecture, its brushed or polished brass pieces express a luxurious sobriety, with perfect proportions and impeccable finishes.

Production: United States (New York)

Brand van Egmond 🇳🇱

Dutch house founded by William Brand and Hennie van Egmond, known for sculptural chandeliers in metal and crystal. Each piece is made by hand in its Dutch workshop, in nickel, bronze or gilded finishes, often as a one-off. Its organic, flowing compositions furnish yachts, villas and exceptional residences.

Production: Netherlands, handmade

F

Flos 🇮🇹

Italian house founded in Merano in 1962 and now based near Brescia, one of the great legends of lighting design. Its catalogue is a history of modern design: the Arco floor lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1962) with its Carrara marble base, Taccia, Parentesi (1971), the 2097 chandelier by Gino Sarfatti and Michael Anastassiades’ IC Lights (2014). Philippe Starck and many contemporary designers have also worked with the house.

Production: Italy (Brescia area)

FontanaArte 🇮🇹

Milanese house founded in 1932, a pioneer of worked glass in furniture and lighting. Under the artistic direction of Gio Ponti, FontanaArte made thick, bevelled or sandblasted glass its signature. Its lamps embody a timeless Milanese elegance.

Production: Italy (Milan area)

Forestier 🇫🇷

French house making lights in natural woven materials. Bamboo, rattan, paper and textiles are shaped into warm, organic forms by partner artisans in Asia, with French design and quality control. A poetic and responsible approach to lighting.

Production: Asia, with French design

Foscarini 🇮🇹

House founded in 1981 in Murano, now known for bold materials and forms. Born from Venetian glassmaking, Foscarini quickly opened up to other materials. Its icons include Caboche by Patricia Urquiola and Eliana Gerotto, a sphere of transparent beads, Marc Sadler’s Twiggy, an ultra-light arc floor lamp, and Mite, a cocoon of fibreglass.

Production: Italy

I

Ingo Maurer 🇩🇪

Munich house founded in 1966 by Ingo Maurer (1932-2019), the poet of light. His first piece, Bulb (1966), a giant glass bulb, set the tone: humour and poetry. Lucellino (1992), a bulb with goose-feather wings, Porca Miseria! (1994), an explosion of broken porcelain, and Zettel’z, a chandelier of handwritten notes, made the house a reference in experimental lighting. Read our portrait of Ingo Maurer.

Production: Germany (Munich)

L

Lambert & Fils 🇨🇦

Montreal house founded in 2010, making architectural lights with graphic lines. Metal and glass are assembled into linear, suspended compositions with perfect proportions, a modernist approach that structures space.

Production: Canada (Montreal)

Larose Guyon 🇨🇦

Quebec studio making sculptural lights in glass and metal. Its pieces combine artisanal glass and refined metal finishes in soft, organic forms of great sensitivity.

Production: Canada (Quebec)

Lasvit 🇨🇿

Czech house founded in 2007 by Leon Jakimič, reinventing Bohemian glass. Lasvit creates collections and monumental bespoke installations with international designers, including Yabu Pushelberg. Its glass works furnish luxury hotels, corporate lobbies and exceptional residences around the world.

Production: Czech Republic (Bohemia)

Le Klint 🇩🇰

Danish house founded in 1943, famous for its hand-pleated shades. Its lamps, such as model 172, are still folded by hand in Odense according to a technique passed down in the founding family. Perfect geometric pleats create a soft play of light and shadow.

Production: Denmark (Odense), hand-pleated

Lee Broom 🇬🇧

London designer who launched his brand in 2007. Collections such as Eclipse and Observatory combine marble, glass and brass with a theatrical, distinctly British glamour, between Art Deco references and contemporary minimalism.

Production: United Kingdom (London)

Lindsey Adelman Studio 🇺🇸

New York designer who founded her studio in 2006. Her branching lights in hand-blown glass and brass, such as Branching Bubble and Knotty Bubbles, have become modern classics. Inspired by nature, her pieces can be customised in colour and configuration, and are made with New York artisans.

Production: United States (New York)

Lobmeyr 🇦🇹

Viennese crystal house founded in 1823, former supplier to the imperial court. Its cut crystal chandeliers adorn palaces and great venues, including the famous chandeliers of the Metropolitan Opera in New York (1966). Two centuries of know-how passed down within the family.

Production: Austria (Vienna)

Louis Poulsen 🇩🇰

Copenhagen house founded in 1874, the reference for glare-free Scandinavian light. Its catalogue includes Poul Henningsen’s PH 5 and PH Artichoke (both 1958), Verner Panton’s Panthella (1971) and Arne Jacobsen’s AJ (1960). Its philosophy: light designed for people, never dazzling.

Production: Denmark

Luceplan 🇮🇹

Milanese house founded in 1978 by Riccardo Sarfatti, Paolo Rizzatto and Sandra Severi. Technical research is its DNA: Rizzatto’s Costanza (1986) with its interchangeable shade, Titania (1989) by Alberto Meda and Paolo Rizzatto with its aluminium blades, and Hope (2009) by Francisco Gomez Paz and Paolo Rizzatto, whose thin Fresnel lenses create a crystal effect.

Production: Italy

M

Michael Anastassiades 🇨🇾🇬🇧

Cypriot designer based in London, who founded his studio in 1994. Spheres, rods and perfect balances define his work, from the Mobile Chandelier produced under his own name to the IC Lights for Flos. A contemporary reference of poetic minimalism.

Production: Europe, own brand and Flos

Moooi 🇳🇱

Dutch brand founded in 2001 by Marcel Wanders and Casper Vissers. Exuberant and narrative, Moooi publishes Raimond Puts’ Raimond, a constellation of LED points, Bertjan Pot’s Heracleum and Random Light, and Umut Yamac’s Perch Light, small birds of light. A modern baroque that turns lighting into theatre.

Production: Netherlands (design) with international manufacturers

Muuto 🇩🇰

Copenhagen brand founded in 2006, champion of the “new Nordic” design. Mattias Ståhlbom’s E27, TAF Architects’ Ambit and Iskos-Berlin’s Under the Bell offer accessible, colourful Scandinavian design with refined forms.

Production: Denmark (design) with European manufacturers

O

Ochre 🇬🇧

London house founded in the late 1990s, making sculptural lights in bronze, blown glass, linen and silk. Pieces such as Arctic Pear, with its massive glass drops, or the Seed Cloud chandelier combine organic inspiration and luxurious finishes, often made to order.

Production: United Kingdom (London)

Oluce 🇮🇹

Founded in Milan in 1945, the oldest Italian lighting design company still in business. Its catalogue includes Vico Magistretti’s Atollo (1977, Compasso d’Oro 1979) and Joe Colombo’s Spider (1965) and Coupé (1967), alongside lamps by Marco Zanuso.

Production: Italy (Milan area)

Örsjö 🇸🇪

Swedish house making minimalist Nordic lights in metal and glass. Simple forms, noble materials and a pragmatic approach where every detail is thought out for durability and light quality.

Production: Sweden

P

Petite Friture 🇫🇷

Parisian publisher founded in 2009, known for colourful, joyful design. Its best-seller, the Vertigo pendant by Constance Guisset, has become a contemporary classic. Petite Friture works with emerging designers and offers a playful, accessible approach without sacrificing quality.

Production: Europe

Porta Romana 🇬🇧

British house founded in 1988, making artisanal lights with luxurious finishes. Moulded plaster, patinated metal and blown glass are sculpted and finished by hand, in collections that blend classical inspiration and contemporary sensitivity.

Production: United Kingdom

Comparing the main lighting houses

Price guide: € = under €500 | €€ = €500-1,500 | €€€ = €1,500-5,000 | €€€€ = €5,000-15,000 | €€€€€ = over €15,000. Indicative ranges for the most representative models; prices vary widely within each catalogue.

How to choose a lighting house

The right house is the one whose idea of light matches your interior, your budget and the room you are lighting.

For a contemporary, minimalist interior, look to Flos, Louis Poulsen, Artemide or Apparatus. An industrial loft calls for DCW Éditions’ Lampe Gras or the Parentesi by Flos. Classic luxury is the territory of Baccarat, Lobmeyr and the PH Artichoke. Eclectic, bohemian interiors find their match in Moooi, Foscarini, Petite Friture or Lindsey Adelman, while lovers of Scandinavian design will turn to Louis Poulsen, Le Klint, &Tradition and Muuto.

On budget, Muuto, Petite Friture, DCW Éditions and Artemide’s entry-level models stay under €1,000. Flos, Louis Poulsen, Foscarini and Catellani & Smith require a real investment, between €1,000 and €5,000 for their key pieces. Beyond that come exceptional pieces such as the PH Artichoke, Apparatus or Lindsey Adelman, and bespoke installations by Baccarat, Lasvit or Brand van Egmond.

Room by room, the Arco and the Twiggy suit the living room, the PH 5 or a Moooi Raimond the dining table, the Tolomeo or the Lampe Gras the desk. For an entrance or a staircase that needs a statement, think Lasvit, Baccarat or Lindsey Adelman. To place these lights well, see our designer lighting guide, and for the technology behind them, our guide to LED innovations.

Céline Vanier

Digital entrepreneur and craft artisan.
My work bridges craftsmanship, design history and contemporary creation, shaping a personal vision of luxury interior design.
Since 2012, I have been based in my workshop on the shores of Lake Annecy, creating bespoke interiors for architects, decorators and private clients.