We recently caught up with Francesco De Majo at the exclusive launch of SANIPEX GROUP’s new lighting category.

Take a trip back in time with us as Francesco opens up about the heritage & rich history of the Italian hand-crafted glassmaking brand. Learn how the family brand has evolved through the years to create a captivating and expressive modern twist on timeless style; producing ceiling, floor and pendant lamps as well as a tasteful range of chandeliers.

Q1. How would you describe DE MAJO in three words?

Italian Lifestyle Worldwide.

Our brand produces exquisite lighting pieces, but most importantly showcases authentic Italian-living traditions. From the early stages of production to our excellent customer service, we offer a 100% authentic high-end Italian experience. Worldwide.

Q2. What is the source of the product design team’s inspiration?

Products at DE MAJO are made in Murano, and designed by “Muranesi” (the people of Murano). To us this is vital. We are actively part of the Murano island community and understand it’s history. True to our roots, our inspiration often comes from the past, interpreting Murano traditions in the modern world with primarily glass-oriented products. With the majority of our designers coming from Venice, their environment growing up will also inevitably influence their designs.

Q3. What are your top three favourite lights from the current collection?

Diaphanes Indoor Floor Lamp – Cutting edge LED technology featuring the highest quality electronic components in the market.

Memory Indoor Pendant Lamp – This product turns 65 this year. It was originally designed by Guido, perfected by Lucio, and made contemporary by Francesco.

Ambrati Chandeliers – these chandeliers are effortlessly elegant and highly versatile due to their simpler look. A must have.

Q4. Tell us more about the history of DE MAJO

The brand was founded after World War II by Guido de Majo, with a vision and passion strong enough to live through generations. To pursue his dream of making Murano glass more accessible, Guido made the moved to Venice from his hometown in Naples.

Contrary to initial scepticism, DE MAJO’s unique offering of Murano glass in a minimalistic design to the masses quickly gained traction and fame. Simultaneously, DE MAJO maintained a connection to its roots through the mastery of glassmaking elegant and traditional chandeliers, framed in history books to this day. Through the decades, this dual specialisation became our true strength.

Taking artisanal production to its highest form of prestige, Guido’s descendant, Lucio – my father, curated innovative and luxurious collections that honoured the vision of simplicity and accessibility with a mid-century European taste. Carrying on from Lucio, I am determined to keep artisanship alive while focusing on cutting edge lighting technologies. Today DE MAJO carries the legacy of both authentic artisanal and industrial glassmaking to over 95 countries worldwide. A true one-stop solution for beautiful bespoke lighting.

Q5. How has being a part of a family business shaped the new era of DE MAJO?

DE MAJO today is heavily influenced by the values passed down through generations. Even though the brand has come so far, we still like to consider our company a “Bottega”. Loyalty and transparency are core to shaping not only our client relationships, but also everyday life in our offices. We value solid, long-term relationships with both clients and suppliers, most of whom have been partners of DE MAJO for decades. We have spent 75 years proving our consistent reliability, allowing us to be seen as a trusted business partner.

Q6. DE MAJO is renowned for merging contemporary design with the Murano region’s rich glassmaking heritage. How important is the production process to your company values?

Production at DE MAJO is extremely rigorous. We have systematically refused to lower our standards. This is because we value our heritage, we respect our elders’ know-how, and we do not want to be mistaken for our competitors. This paradigm is applicable to both our artisanal production and our industrial production. In fact, every component undergoes a strict quality check, which is not up for discussion. Every piece shipped by DE MAJO is the result of a never-ending pursuit of excellence, which involves making sure production methods remain authentic and inspired by our heritage.

Q7. What are the top lighting trends of 2022?

We are currently obsessed with placing a very traditional chandelier in a completely modern interior. We believe that traditional Venetian lighting makes a great statement piece.
We are also very invested in dimmable LED lighting, allowing everyday use around the clock.
Our favourite shape this year? Tubular suspension lighting.

Q8. How can the effective use of lighting enhance a space, both indoors and out?

At DE MAJO we have grown to master the dynamics of interior lighting. For bespoke projects in particular, we provide “light mapping” to achieve the optimal lighting for a specific interior, taking into consideration spaces and ergonomics.

Lighting is an undeniable interior-enhancer. To achieve this, interior designers rely on our extensive know-how to engineer a lighting proposal. Warm lighting will completely change an interior or exterior environment, compared to colder lighting – therefore we often request renders and mood boards from our clients, to get it just right. This is only possible thanks to a dedicated team with decades of experience in the subject.

Q9. What are you most excited about working with SANIPEX GROUP and entering a new market?

SANIPEX GROUP is offering DE MAJO the opportunity to show its heritage to a brand-new market. Moreover, we share a lot of the same values as SANIPEX GROUP, confirming this collaboration to be successful and long lasting. The Group’s European-inspired aesthetics are a perfect match for DE MAJO’s modern product portfolio. We believe the network SANIPEX GROUP has built will permit us to thrive in a market which highly values authentic brands and their history.

Q10. Can you foresee a particular product that will shine in the UAE?

SANIPEX GROUP handpicked a wonderfully coherent collection, which we have no doubt will be a huge success in the UAE. Being less familiar with this market, we absolutely agree with SANIPEX GROUP’s choices and couldn’t have done a better job at identifying the perfect group of products for this area. We believe all products chosen are great candidates for becoming best sellers in the UAE.