How does a string of light sound? Luca Nichetto has the answer

In collaboration with Matter Made, Italian multidisciplinary designer Luca Nichetto’s Legato lighting system can set the mood for intentional daydreaming anyplace as it adapts to the unique frequency of its surroundings.

In collaboration with Matter Made, Luca Nichetto’s Legato Lighting System can set the mood for intentional daydreaming anyplace as it adapts to the unique frequency of its surroundings.

Opera chose Venice for its genesis. Earliest productions were invitation-only and performed in banquet halls and ballrooms. Audiences would wear masks and join the spectacle, a fervent fusion of skin-penetrating sound and gripping, turbulent tales. It’s no wonder that the concept for Venice-born multidisciplinary designer Luca Nichetto’s Legato lighting system is rooted in the world of music.

Marked by its marvelous modularity that allows for a rich array of harmonious arrangements to be made, the collection is crafted in collaboration with renowned New York-based contemporary lighting manufacturer Matter Made.

The Legato Lighting System is crafted to illuminate a rich variety of indoor spaces, settings, and environments: from residential and retail to hospitality. - © Joe Kramm — The Legato lighting system is crafted to illuminate a rich variety of indoor spaces, settings, and environments: from residential and retail to hospitality. – © Joe Kramm

Italian for “tied together,” legato derives from a musical term that refers to an unbroken note sequence–each note connects smoothly and unpretentiously to the next thus piecing together a continuous melody. With its cones aligned like symbiotic notes that form contrasting, visually stunning, tangible compositions, the Legato lighting system can illuminate a wide variety of indoor settings, from residential, and retail to hospitality environments.

The shades are characterized by their softness and shyness even as the light that exudes from them feels of a tactful, warm nature. Available in Textured Graphite, the conical units, pinned together and sensuously stacked on a delicate aluminum frame, appear as wondrous drops cascading romantically downwards.

Legato Double String: a harmonious combination of cones pointing up and down, casting a soft glow. - © Matter Made — Legato lighting system, Double String: a harmonious combination of cones pointing upwards and downwards, casting a soft glow. – © Matter Made

Each module in the collection is linked with the rest which allows for boundless customization combinations. The double directionality of the light sources creates a play of reflections and shadows between the cones and emphasizes their volume. From minimalist single-strand pendants to breathtaking chandeliers, due to the Legato lighting system’s outstanding modularity, it can shape a dynamic installation or an architectural wall of bi-directional light.

It features shades that point up to the ceiling and down to the ground, as well as a combination of both. When completely upwards, ceilings can be highlighted by a softer, ambient glow, while when pointing downwards, the illumination is more direct and robust.

Legato Single String: the elegant single-strand composition captivates with its fragility. - © Matter Made — Legato lighting system, Single String: the elegant single-strand composition captivates with its fragility. – © Matter Made

The elegant complexity of the collection is an organic extension of Nichetto’s ever-growing design ethos. The Italian designer’s artistic intuition was awakened and took hold in his formative years as many members of his family made their careers working for the famous Murano glassmaking industry.

Following his extensive studies at the Instituto Statale d’Arteand in Venice and the Universitá luava di Venezia (IUAV), Nichetto joined Murano-based glassmaker Salvati and began his professional journey as a product designer and consultant for Foscarini. He founded his eponymous studio in 2006 before he decided to move to Stockholm for the opening of his second one.

Luca Nichetto has lectured and taught at several universities, including serving as a professor of design at the IUAV. The gifted designer's work is often featured in prestigious exhibitions and has been the subject of retrospectives in London, New York, and Beijing. - © Morgan Norman — Luca Nichetto has lectured and taught at several universities, including serving as a professor of design at the IUAV. The gifted creative’s work is often featured in prestigious exhibitions and has been the subject of retrospectives in London, New York, and Beijing. – © Morgan Norman

Throughout his lustrous career, Nichetto has acted as an art director and partnered with various international design brands. Developed over seven years, the trailblazing designer’s collaboration with Matter Made is warped around creative alignment. The American company specializes in modern lighting and creates minimal, timeless works of exceptional craftsmanship. With an unwavering commitment to the highest level of refinement and finish, Matter Made couples with the most influential and bold designers of today.

Emblematic American-Greek soprano Maria Callas famously said, “An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down”. With its intricate design and stunning agility, Nichetto’s Legato lighting system’s beauty lies in its borderless identity. Its palpable vulnerability sets an ambiance for contemplation or a rare chance to practice the courageous act of intentional daydreaming.