Cover photo: Arcadia70 Duo
Natural stone, precious metals, and light fused into a single object. That is the formula behind the exceptionally elegant lamps of Matlight Milano, the Milanese brand that has built its signature on a synthesis of high quality, artisanal production, and geometric forms—pure ones at that. Sitting down with founder and CEO Matteo Terragni, we learned that every lamp can fairly be called one of a kind, because no two cuts of onyx or alabaster are ever alike. “We have the ambition to create products built to last, in both material and aesthetic terms,” Terragni writes on the company’s website—a clear, precise statement of intent, pursued for more than ten years with artisanal care and an entrepreneurial mindset.
What is your professional background, and how did Matlight Milano come about?
“After several years in finance, working for international investment banks and running internationalization projects for Italian companies, I felt the need to turn a lifelong passion into a business. Design—and above all the relationship between material and light—had always fascinated me. In 2014 I founded Matlight Milano with the goal of building an artisanal brand with an original approach to decorative lighting. The idea was to put natural materials such as alabaster, onyx, and selenite at the center, drawing out their qualities through light and creating objects with real material and emotional weight.”
What are the brand’s strengths, and what makes it distinctive?
“Matlight Milano’s distinctiveness lies precisely in the meeting of stone and light. Every collection begins with observing how light passes through, reflects off, or heightens natural materials like alabaster, onyx, and selenite. Stone is not a decorative afterthought; it is the point of departure for the design. Its veining, translucency, and shifts of color make each piece unrepeatable and help create atmospheres that cannot be duplicated. It’s no accident that our motto is ‘Stone Meets Light.’”
Matlight Milano’s lamps are made entirely by hand. Who do you work with on fabrication?
“We collaborate with an established network of specialized artisans across Milan and Lombardy, each with specific expertise in metalwork and natural stone. Producing a Matlight lamp involves a range of processes, from brasswork—turning, bending, welding, and galvanic finishing—through to the most advanced stone technologies, including waterjet cutting and five-axis CNC machining. That synergy between craft knowledge and technology lets us hold a high quality standard and stay flexible in design.”
Who designs the lamps? Do you have an in-house design department?
“Most of the collections currently in the catalog were designed and developed directly by me. I follow the entire creative process personally, from first idea to prototype. In parallel, Matlight Milano works regularly with architects and designers, both to customize existing models and to develop new products. Some of those collaborations have grown into full collections now permanent in the catalog—with Droulers Architecture, Ekaterina Elizarova, and LC Atelier. We have also recently begun a new collaboration with designer Mara Bragagnolo, who conceived the showroom for Officine Profumarie Satinine Milano, on a new collection to be presented in the coming months.”
Who is your core client? Where can people see and buy your work?
“Our principal interlocutors are international architecture and interior design studios that specify our products for high-end residential, hospitality, and contract projects. We also field direct inquiries from private clients looking for distinctive, highly customizable pieces. Commercially, we operate both directly and through the leading international design and luxury platforms—1stDibs and Artemest—which give our collections visibility, particularly in the U.S. market.”
Matlight Milano specializes in custom lighting for high-end projects. What kind of support do you offer architects and interior designers? Which projects are you proudest of?
“Over the years we have delivered numerous bespoke projects for architecture studios, design galleries, and international brands. Today we have chosen to concentrate our energy mainly on the development of the Matlight brand and its collections, while keeping a high degree of customization available on catalog models. We support architects and interior designers in choosing materials, finishes, dimensions, and lighting solutions, so that each product integrates seamlessly into the scheme. Among the projects we are particularly proud of: the Carlton Hotel in St. Moritz, where our custom Grand Stick sconces light the main restaurant; Morgan Stanley’s new Paris headquarters, which specified the Stick sconces; Caviar House in London, with Grand Stick installed in the main room; the Conrad Algarve Luxury Apartments in Portugal, furnished with Selene pendants and Funghetto table lamps; and the Royal Mansour in Casablanca, with several installations from the Stick and Levante collections.”
What did you present at the last Fuorisalone, and where is your research heading?
“At the most recent Fuorisalone we presented Arcadia 70, a new table lamp in alabaster and satin nickel, available in Solo and Duo versions. The design draws on the soft, sculptural forms of 1970s design, reinterpreted in a contemporary language and paired with technical solutions such as touch control. We also introduced satin nickel into our range of finishes, applying it to some of our most iconic models—Funghetto, Fungotto, Stick, and Grand Stick. It reflects a desire to explore new aesthetic registers while leaving the brand’s material identity intact.”
Where do you want to take the brand? What is your vision for the future? Are you working on anything in particular? Do you plan to open a showroom in Milan?
“Our vision is to keep consolidating Matlight Milano’s position as a reference brand in artisanal decorative lighting, in Italy and on international markets. We want to grow without giving up the values that define us: quality of materials, attention to detail, handwork, and the capacity to customize. In parallel, we are investing in optimizing production to meet growing international demand more efficiently. A single-brand showroom in Milan is certainly a possibility we are considering for the future. For now, though, the priority is developing product and strengthening the brand’s presence through strategic collaborations and high-profile projects.”
