Emiliana Martinelli

Emiliana Martinelli was born in Lucca in 1949. She graduated from the Lucca Art Institute – ceramics department – and went on to obtain a diploma in industrial design at the ISIA in Florence, where she subsequently earned her degree in architecture.

After completing her degree, she joined the family business, founded in the 1930s by her grandfather Plinio and subsequently developed by her father Elio, which shifted its focus in the 1950s towards the design and production of lamps. A long collaboration began with him – her greatest mentor – as they worked together to develop the themes and products that have distinguished Martinelli Luce’s output over the years.
Emiliana Martinelli is the chairwoman of Martinelli Luce and, within the company, she has always held a dual role as entrepreneur, designer and artistic director, overseeing the graphic design of communication and marketing materials.
She oversees the design of the stands through which the company presents itself and takes part in the sector’s most important events, both in Italy and abroad. She has designed numerous lamps over the years, for both domestic and technical applications, which have won major international awards such as – to mention only the most recent – the German Design Award in 2012 and 2014 for the Colibrì, and the iF PRODUCT DESIGN Award for the Colibrì lamp in 2011, 2013 and 2015, for the Circolar Pol XXL in 2014, the Calabronet in 2015 and 2016, the Luna Op in 2015, the Calabrone and Condor in 2016, and the Mamba in 2019.