DE MAJO
DE MAJO Illuminazione is a well known contemporary lighting company based in Murano, Italy. The company became popular in the 70s when founder Guido de Majo capitalized on the design boom and expanded his market considerably. Since then DE MAJO has become one of Europe's best known lighting brands due to their unique designs and expert craftsmanship.
The DE MAJO Story
A visionary man named Guido de Majo, having escaped from the atrocities of World War II, finds himself in Venice. Originally from Naples, Guido had a great spirit of adaptability, and a precise vision. In 1947, fascinated by the unique artistic tradition of our Venetian Lagoon, he founded a glass furnace with all the money he had - with the mission of changing Murano glass forever.
In fact, Murano glass had been a very high-end, niche product up until that time. Only the finest and most ornate lighting pieces were made in Murano glass - Guido wanted to change that. He ramped up production, selecting only the most skilled artisans, and started producing modern, more affordable Murano glass items, allowing these products to end up in middle-class homes.
The people of Murano did not welcome this change happily, initially. Through rough times, DE MAJO never sacrificed quality, and never gave up traditions. Having established an entire new market for Murano glass, this gave the opportunity to shift artistic direction towards what we now call Design - which at the time was a “nameless attempt at something entirely new”. This worked beautifully throughout the following decades.
Having changed Venetian history forever, Guido left his life work into the hands of his son, Lucio de Majo.
During the seventies and eighties, Lucio had the ambitious will to return to traditions. He was born and bred in the context of glass furnaces. His entire life had been contaminated with early memories of traditional glass making, in every shape and form - something he wanted to pay a tribute to. True to his origins, Lucio decides to introduce traditional Venetian chandeliers alongside modern products in the DE MAJO collection. The impeccable level of craftsmanship offered by skilled artisans made this possible, locating DE MAJO among the most prestigious artisanal brands of the Lagoon.
Having built quite a reputation, during the eighties and nineties DE MAJO delivered beautiful lighting pieces in many countries worldwide. Thanks to the heartfelt tradition of welcoming and assisting customers during and after their purchase, DE MAJO became the affectionate destination for many designers, whose clients have special needs for their products, which in most cases are tailor designed and made. This opened yet again another opportunity for DE MAJO, which alongside a “modern” and “traditional” collection, proposed a “bespoke” collection which gave clients a way to personalise each product.
Since the start of the XXI century to this day, DE MAJO delivered over 1000 special, tailor made products in over 90 countries worldwide. Nowadays, Lucio’s son Francesco de Majo represents the third generation of a family which was able, through hardships, to reinvent itself and always remain relevant during the decades. The same exact visionary ambition lives on, never sacrificing quality or attention to details, allowing new exciting chapters to be written on Murano glass.
The DE MAJO family is proud of its heritage, always welcoming change and never diminishing its ambition, the Italian way. This is the real story of how a small bottega was able to generate such a big influence and deliver authentic Italian lifestyle worldwide. The DE MAJO family welcomes you to its world, where the joy of doing fuels passion for glassmaking.
Don’t be afraid to re-write the rules, Be like Guido, change the World.
