In an age of fast communication, we often send a heart emoji to express affection, closeness, appreciation. We make little hearts with our hands, and even with index finger and thumb, Korean style. Red hearts crowd Valentine’s cards, T-shirts, and every kind of accessory for the body and the home. The stylized heart, two perfectly matched halves, is said to derive from a simplification of the anatomical organ, but also from medieval botanical illustration. An international symbol of love, it has also inspired designers and creatives who have designed romantic lamps and playful pieces that take the edge off an interior.
Some are more artistic, like Ingo Maurer’s Kokoro table lamp (pictured at the top); some more pop, like Slide’s plastic piece or the statement neons of the big chains; and some are more abstract, playful Murano glass pendants, or morphological pieces, like Seletti’s, with its realistic ventricles and arteries.
We’ve picked 8 lamps to show that design is also a matter of the heart.
Kuore by Karman
In matte resin, red or blue, Cupid’s arrow included: Matteo Ugolini designs a table piece for Karman that is made for romantic dinners. A contemporary candle that raises a smile.
Love by Slide
Designed by Stefano Giovannoni, known for humorous pieces such as Alessi’s Merdolino, Love by Slide is a polyethylene heart that lights up and brings warmth with it. A tabletop piece, available in white and red.
Rail by Davide Groppi
The tracks of a toy train draw a large heart to hang on the wall and carry the electrical current that lights the LED bar. A romantic, decorative idea from Davide Groppi.
One From the Heart by Ingo Maurer
Designed by the “master of the ready-made,” Ingo Maurer, in 1989 as a wedding gift for friends, it is a poetic, weightless object. Beneath the red heart in metal foil, two insulated copper rods—one red, one blue—twist together. The adjustable glass mirror reflects a heart of light downward or onto the wall. In 2021 it was updated with a higher-performance LED source.
Heart Lamp by Seletti
Provocative just enough, the anatomical wall lamp is by Marcantonio for Seletti. The light escapes through the blood vessels.
Lampada Cuore by Thun
In porcelain, like everything from the Trentino brand Thun, it belongs to the romantic L’amore Vola collection. Rechargeable, it takes on a warmer tone when lit, while the decorative pinholes across its surface become more visible.
Cuore by Siru
The pendant from Siru, in mold-blown Murano glass, simplifies the stylized heart to the extreme.
Neon by Ale-Hop
An option within everyone’s reach from the Spanish gift chain Ale-Hop, which recently landed in Italy: a pink neon reading “love”, ideal as a gift.
