Bright Stones by Matlight Milano

Based in Milan since 2014, Matlight Milano combines different types of stone and marble with lighting design, to create beautiful pieces for interiors. Guided by its motto “Stone meets light”, this brand unites the traditional Italian craftmanship with contemporary design. A hallmark of the brand is the high standard of customization, which is particularly appreciated by demanding private clients and professionals.

All pieces are characterized by linear silhouettes and high-quality materials, meticulously hand-crafted by master artisans to create magical lighting effects. Meet Matteo Terragni and discover the secrets behind Matlight art of lighting.

Drawing inspiration from an innovative idea and passion, Matlight started as a project connecting craftsmanship and contemporary lighting design. Tell us about how the brand was born and how it has developed over the years.

Matlight unites a strong passion for natural materials - such as marble, alabaster, selenite, and brass - with the desire to innovate the world of contemporary lighting design. We aim to create unique pieces that blend high-quality craftsmanship with modern design, resulting in pieces that illuminate spaces and tell a story through materials and shapes.

The brand started as a small artisanal workshop, where each creation was made by hand, exploring the potential of materials like alabaster (with its natural translucence) and bronze, that captured the eye. We sought to bridge tradition and innovation, merging craftsmanship with a contemporary aesthetic. Selenite, with its luminosity and refinement, became a cornerstone of our creations, enabling us to design lamps with a unique and sophisticated appeal.

Over the years, Matlight has continued to grow while preserving its original spirit of research and innovation. We have perfected our techniques, expanded our collections, and collaborated with master artisans to create products that combine aesthetics and functionality. Today, Matlight represents a harmonious fusion of past and present, where natural materials and ancient traditions meet contemporary design, enriching spaces with elegance, originality, and uncompromising craftsmanship.

“Stone meets light” is the core principle behind Matlight, and it’s what makes each piece so exclusive and utterly original. Tell us about this concept, how it came about, and how it influences the design of each lamp.

Our "stone meets light" concept originated from a desire to enhance the intrinsic beauty of natural materials like alabaster, selenite, and marble by combining them with the magical allure of light. These materials, already captivating in their raw form, gain a new level of expressiveness when light shines through them, revealing veins, transparencies, and unique details that would otherwise remain hidden. This principle underpins every Matlight creation.

We sought to transform materials traditionally used in architecture and sculpture into protagonists of the contemporary design world, particularly lighting. Each lamp is designed not only to illuminate a space but to interact with it, creating unique atmospheres through the combination of light and stone. The creative process often starts with the material itself:from its natural characteristics, such as alabaster’s translucence or selenite’s light interplay, which suggest how light can pass through it or be reflected on it.

This concept influences every stage of the design. Each Matlight lamp is designed to enhance the natural qualities of stone and strikes a balance between form, function, and materiality. Light becomes a medium through which the stone reveals itself, and this interaction gives life to unique, unrepeatable pieces that are deeply rooted in craftsmanship, making each creation an intrinsic work of art.

Clean, geometric lines enhance the beauty and magnificence of the materials. Each one of your pieces seems to emerge from raw materials. What inspires the style of your lamps? Tell us about the process of designing and crafting Matlight's pieces.

Our inspirations primarily stem from nature and classical architecture, reinterpreted in a modern key. The beauty of natural materials like alabaster, marble, and bronze lies at the heart of our creative process, and we always strive to give them a prominent role through clean, geometric shapes that enhance their purity. We aim to create lamps that are essential in design but rich in character and depth thanks to the chosen materials.

A classic example of our process is the ‘Cosmos’ lamp, a chandelier inspired by a 1950s design. The whole process begins with selecting materials, in this case alabaster slabs with a distinctive translucence. We are guided by the stone’s unique characteristics, such as veining and natural irregularities, which become an integral part of the design. Alabaster, with its ability to diffuse a soft, warm light, is combined with metal, particularly bronze or satin-finished brass, to create a refined contrast between the materiality of stone and the precision of metal.

The design process is developed in close collaboration with the artisans. We start with preliminary sketches, which evolve into three-dimensional models, always considering the balance between form, function, and light. Every detail is meticulously overseen, from the geometric composition to the chosen metal finish, ensuring that the lamp is not only a functional element but also a sculptural piece. Ultimately, light filters through the alabaster slabs, revealing their natural beauty and creating a luminous effect that transforms the space. For us, this process represents a continuous dialogue between creativity and craftsmanship, between the raw material and the final form. It enables us to create unique pieces that tell a story and infuse a special ambiance into the environments in which they are placed.