Luca Nichetto and the Future of Murano Glass

13 August 2026

For Luca Nichetto, glass is not merely a design material, but an intimate language, deeply connected to his origins and to the memory of Murano. Appointed Creative Director of Barovier&Toso, Nichetto inaugurates a new chapter for the brand with 2026 Chapter 1, founded on a continuous dialogue between heritage and contemporaneity. From the Profilo suspension lamp and the modular volumes of Etime to the portable lamp Aurora, the new projects reinterpret Murano archetypes and glassmaking techniques through an international design language, envisioning what Murano glass can become in the decades to come.

Interview conducted in Italian – English translation and editorial adaptation.

What does glass represent to you today, both as a design material and on a personal level? And what does it mean to take on the role of Creative Director of Barovier&Toso, a brand so deeply rooted in Murano’s history?

Glass, for me, is of course my first love. It comes from my origin, from where I come from. It was the first material and the first exposure I had to design. It is, in a way, the perfect medium for me, partly because I know it so well and because it was also part of my family’s legacy, with many members involved in this industry. I feel responsible for continuing that tradition. On the other hand, the art direction for Barovier & Toso is not just a normal job, but a great responsibility and an honor. Being from Murano, I know how much this brand means to the people on the island. For centuries, it has acted as an ambassador of Murano’s craftsmanship around the world. For me, the role I have today carries a strong sense of responsibility, to continue and help this incredible legacy evolve into the future.

Profilo is composed of opaline discs and spirals that come together to create what feels like a luminous silhouette in space. How did you approach the relationship between material, light, and visual perception to achieve an object that feels at once technical, poetic, and contemporary?

The concept of Profilo was built on three main pillars. The first was how a modus can recreate different archetypes of chandeliers that already exist. We realized that discs of different diameters, positioned in different ways, can recreate a silhouette. This is also why the lamp is called Profilo, which in Italian means silhouette or profile. The second pillar was the technical process. We discovered that the best way to achieve these discs was through a slightly more advanced Murano technique, centrifuged glass. Even though it is a more industrial process, we wanted to maintain a craft-based touch. This is especially visible in the spiral of opaline glass, which is made by pouring white glass over transparent glass. Depending on the quantity of glass and the gesture of the artisan, each spiral becomes slightly different. This reinforces the idea that behind every imperfection, there is always a person. For me, this is one of the most important characteristics of Murano glass. The combination of opaline and transparent glass creates, across the different discs, a strong contrast. The third pillar is the function: we wanted to use a central lighting pole, with the discs attached to it to form different profiles and shapes. The reflection of light between the opaline spiral and the transparent glass creates an ephemeral lighting effect that feels almost like a jellyfish floating in space.

Etime seems to translate an abstract concept such as time into a pure geometric form through the interplay of the square and the circle. Where did this reflection originate, and how important is it in your work for objects to communicate ideas that extend beyond their functional purpose?

Etime began with the intention of opening up Barovier&Toso to the possibility of working with complements — objects in glass that have functions beyond lighting or vases. The idea originated from old glass bricks, a square with a circle in the middle, creating a special optical illusion and reflection. We wanted to create something based on the archetype of a cube, where this circle is impressed on each face, including during the glass-blowing process. This also allows the objects to be stacked, creating installations rather than only standalone pieces. In composition, they generate reflections that strongly recall the idea of glass bricks — modules that, through repetition, create a function. The storytelling of Etime, and of my work in general, is very important, but only when it is directly connected and true to the design process. I am not interested in storytelling that is forced or artificial. Instead, it is a way to better explain the process and the reasoning behind why something exists. In this case, it is literally a glass brick that changes scale, becomes slightly larger, and brings together the characteristics of different glass bricks to create an object with a completely different function.

Aurora reinterprets the tradition of the oil lamp through invisible technology and a distinctly contemporary design language. How can a historical archetype be innovated without losing its emotional and ritualistic dimension?

Aurora was born from a very clear intention to create a portable lamp, something that was missing in Barovier’s offering at a certain price level. When I refer to price level, I am not talking about a democratic price point, but rather something that reflects the value of the company and its processes.
As always, by looking at the company’s past, we discovered in the archive another typology: the first nomadic lamp, a small oil lamp. In a way, the oil was used as the battery of today’s LED lamp, while the use remained identical. We wanted to apply this new technology while maintaining the archetype of the silhouette and the inspiration object. This creates a trajectory between past, present, and future, allowing certain characteristics of the oil lamp to be adapted to new technology.
At the same time, we preserved elements such as the transparent rigadin diffuser in the upper part and colored glass in the base.

“2026 Chapter 1” marks a significant moment of transformation for Barovier&Toso, encompassing a new visual identity, renewed design research, and a broader international outlook. In your view, what are the qualities that make Barovier&Toso today not only a historic brand, but also a company poised for the future?

I believe that one of the most important missions I have as an art director is to give a vision of where Barovier deserves to be. As a heritage company with such a strong archive, I truly believe that when they first started designing what we now call Venetian chandeliers, there was probably someone who considered them too contemporary. Yet those designs eventually became part of the company’s history. The idea today is to create a new offer for the company by introducing different cultures, perspectives, and international points of view. All of this creativity is then brought back to the island of Murano and into the Barovier&Toso DNA, to recreate a projection of contemporary design for the future. The hope is that what we are doing today will one day become a new classic. This does not mean abandoning such a rich heritage, but rather combining old and new, contemporary and traditional, to create a perfect melting pot between tradition and innovation.

Photo credit: Piergiorgio Sorgetti

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