Statement lighting
Oversize chandeliers, pendants and light fittings in blown glass, with hidden integrated LEDs.
Architect · Padua · Murano
Bespoke Murano glass for exceptional interiors
I design chandeliers, tables and furniture in art glass with the master glassmakers of Murano. Every piece starts as a drawing, goes through the furnace and ends up installed.
25+years of glass
48catalogue pieces
7exhibition cities
Bespoke projects
From drawing to furnace
I work with partner furnaces in Murano, free from the limits of industrial production: shape, colour, finish and light are tuned to each space, for private homes, hotels, yachts and retail.
Tables and furniture
Dining tables, consoles, billiard tables and accessories on load-bearing blown-glass legs, with marble or metal bases.
Walls, boiseries and yachts
Murrine wall cladding, decorative panels and furniture components for yacht interiors.
How we work
- Meeting and briefSite visit or video call: space, use, budget, timing.
- Drawings and rendersSketches, technical drawings and visualisations of the piece in its setting.
- Sampling at the furnaceColour and finish trials with the master glassmaker before production.
- Production and installationMaking, crating, shipping worldwide and installation support.
Techniques
The language of the furnace
Centuries-old techniques, used to build structural and luminous elements.
- Soffiatura
- Hand-blown glass, often without a mould: every leg and every bowl is one of a kind.
- Incamiciatura
- Glass parts are cased in successive layers of crystal for depth and strength.
- Petoni
- Pure 24 kt gold-leaf inserts, applied hot to enrich the supports.
- Affumicatura
- Hot glass is exposed to the smoke of Marseille soap to create iridescence.
Light
Light inside the glass
In the Lucciola and Eclissi tables the LEDs are hidden inside the blown-glass legs: the structure itself becomes the lamp.
The same idea applies to bespoke chandeliers, light columns and backlit walls.
From the archive
Collections
A selection from the catalogue: dining tables, luxury tables, play tables and accessories. Every model can be customised in size, colour and materials.
Fenice
Ø 140 cm · H 76 cm (55.1″ · 29.9″)Blown-glass dining table on a marble base, inspired by Murano stemmed goblets.
Eclissi
130 × 130 cm · H 76 cm (51.2″ · 29.9″)Black Marquina marble top on clear glass legs with integrated LEDs.
Lucciola
Made to measureBlown-glass legs with battery-powered LED lighting, for candlelit evenings.
Biliardo Opera
288 × 162 cm (113.4″ × 63.8″)Four to eight legs blown without a mould, silk-white ribs and gold leaf.
The full catalogue (48 models) is available as a PDF on request. Write to me. →
Giovanni Marani, architect
The studio
An architect first
I was born in Padua to a Venetian mother and a Veronese father. I graduated in Architecture from Iuav University of Venice, with study periods at Purdue University (USA) and Delft (Netherlands). I have worked with the great Murano master glassmakers since 1989.
Alongside glass design I run an architecture practice in Padua: design, planning applications and technical expert work for private clients, professionals and the courts.
DesignArchitecture and interiors, residential and commercial renovation.
Planning & permitsRegularisation, compliance checks and building permits in Italy.
Expert witnessCourt-appointed technical expert (CTU) for the Courts of Padua and Venice.
- Iuav University of Venice
- Order of Architects of Padua
- Court expert, Padua & Venice
Master glassmakers
The hands of Murano
Pieces are made in limited runs by masters such as Silvano Signoretto, whose work is shown from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice to the Vatican Museums.
- Silvano Signoretto
- Afro Celotto
- Alberto Donà
- Massimiliano Schiavon
- Diego Bardella
EssayL’Architetto ed il Designer nell’Era dell’AIGiovanni Marani
Books & AI
The architect and the designer in the age of AI
My essay (in Italian) on how artificial intelligence is changing design practice: what changes for those who draw, what remains irreplaceable, and how to use these tools every day in the studio.
- Talks for professional bodies and associations
- Hands-on AI workshops for architecture and engineering practices
- Consulting to bring AI into a studio's workflow
Exhibitions
Where the glass has been
- 2018The Venice Glass Week · Palazzo Franchetti, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti. Speaker at the Glass Study Days.
- 2018Casa su Misura · Padua Fair.
- 2017Exclusive Home · exhibition stand.
Work shown at fairs and events in Milan, New York, San Francisco, London, Barcelona, Verona and Padua.
Contact
Let’s talk about your project
Tell me about the space, approximate dimensions and timing. I reply within two working days.
- Studio
- Padua · Venice · Murano