The Spanish lighting brand Marset is a family-run business whose roots go back to the 1940s when Paco Marset opened a metal foundry in Barcelona's Les Corts district. In the 1970s, the company began producing metal and glass lamps. The turning point came in the 1990s when Marset became a European and global leader. The brand's success can be attributed to its great eye for local talent - authors of contemporary lamps that have already become iconic - and its constant technological research with the introduction of LED lighting that enabled new possibilities for the industry.
Marset lamps: contemporary classics of Catalan design
Over the past 15 years, Marset has launched many successful fixtures characterised by a design that blends with different furnishing styles. They are functional, illuminate rooms effectively and make the lives of their inhabitants more pleasant. Discocó (2008) is a pendant lamp that becomes the star of any room even when turned off. It is exuberant, offering direct down and reflected lighting, with different shades, towards the sides and upwards, thanks to a series of internal mirror discs. The ceramics Pleat Box (2011) is reminiscent of a fabric fold. The interior is glazed in brilliant white or plated with 24-carat gold. Cala (2012) is a floor lamp with an essential form. The shade lets through a warm, welcoming light, while the oak wood (or metal) frame is light and strong, like a painter's easel. Perhaps the best-known lamp in the extensive Marset collection is Funiculí, designed by Catalan designer Lluís Porqueras in 1979 and reissued in new colours (with LED technology) in 2013. Depending on its orientation, the light, compact fixture can function as an ambient lamp or as direct lighting. Available in different sizes (floor, table and wall), it allows the light source to be raised and lowered along a double rod.
Marset lamp design is based on the detailed study of materials and the latest lighting technology. One example is Bohemia (2019), a large pendant lamp that appears to be made of blown glass but is instead in polycarbonate. Bohemia defies appearances because its organic form and the colour of the material do not interfere with the light, which is free of colour contamination. Ambrosia (2021) reinterprets the traditional tubular lamp with a technical and poetic design. A line of light interacts with its surrounding space thanks to the many different configurations made possible by its modular system. A sculptural lamp with graphic shapes, Ihana (2021) is characterised by a minimal silhouette and the balance between the rigidity of the structure and the delicacy of the light source.
Marset and the first portable lamps with rechargeable batteries
Marset paved the way not only for the use of LED technology but also for rechargeable batteries, anticipating a trend that is leading the lighting world today - portable lamps. These small, handy and often colourful lamps with no cord are very versatile, as they can be easily moved from one room to another, according to need. They can even be used on the balcony or garden, where they make the atmosphere even more pleasant on summer evenings. FollowMe (2014) can indeed be considered a pioneer of portable lighting. The opaque luminous body mimics the shape of a table lamp. The natural or coloured wood handle makes it functional and beautiful, suitable for decorating a garden table or creating illuminated corners on the ground. Bicoca (2017) is only a few years old, but it is already an icon. In coloured polycarbonate, it is portable, manageable and wireless. Its shape results from the superimposition of geometric figures. Its fixed base and swivelling screen allow light to be directed at will. Dipping Light (2019) was born from an experiment carried out by paint-dipping a light bulb several times. When switched on, light filters through the colour, with a fascinating effect. When off, the lamp becomes a multicoloured glass sculpture in concentric circles resting on a base with a brass or graphite finish. Chispa (2020) is reminiscent of garage lamps, with a mesh enclosing the light source. Because it is water-resistant, it can be hung and used as an outdoor lamp.
