Designer tip
You may not know her name yet, but you have probably seen her lamps: the glass bubble glowing on a console, the ring of light over a dining table, the little cordless lamp that moved from the sofa to the balcony. Let’s meet the woman behind them, then find the one that fits your room. Every lamp below is an Artemide piece in our shop, made in Italy.
Which Carlotta de Bevilacqua lamps should I know? (quick picks)
| Lamp | Best for | Key spec |
|---|---|---|
| Empatia Table | Side tables, consoles | Hand-blown glass, up to 1273 lm, CRI 90+ |
| Empatia Pendant | Dining table, island | Three body sizes, 3000K, hardwired |
| Empatia Wall & Ceiling | Hallway, bedroom | Glass diffuser, up to 1273 lm |
| Copernico Pendant | Statement over a table | 384 LEDs, 2549 lm, Compasso d’Oro 2014 |
| Altrove Pendant | Long dining tables | 39.4 in. square, CRI 90+ |
| Altrove Wall & Ceiling | Hallway, office | 23.6 in. square, 3260 lm |
| Eclittica Pendant | Island, entry | Ring, 1205 lm, 3000K |
| Eclittica Table | Desk, reading corner | Plug-in, dimmable on base |
| Mimesi Floor | Reading chair, sofa | 76 in. tall, 3426 lm |
| Yang Floor | Colored-light mood | Red, green and blue projectors |
| Come Together | Bedside, renters | 16 hours cordless, 272 lm |
Who is Carlotta de Bevilacqua?
Our Artemide listings describe her as an Italian architect and designer and a leading figure in contemporary lighting. She was an early champion of LED at Artemide, and she helped shape the company’s “Human Light” idea: that a lamp should be judged by how it makes people feel and by what it costs the planet, not only by how it looks. Today she also leads Danese Milano, the Milan name that appears on our Eclittica lamps.
Her work for Artemide stretches from the mirrored square of Altrove (designed 2010) to the cordless Come Together (2018). Our Come Together listing frames that lamp as the sequel to Artemide’s 1999 Sui, an early portable, rechargeable LED lamp. For Empatia she worked closely with Paola di Arianello, an Italian graphic and industrial designer who spent nearly ten years at Artemide.
Empatia: why does a glass lamp glow without glare?
Empatia is the one people stop and touch. Its diffuser is hand-blown glass that fades from clear to frosted, a bit like breath on a window, so the light spreads without a hard bright spot. Inside, a transparent light pipe carries the LED’s glow down to a white plate that bounces it back through the glass. Artemide says the idea came from pairing its LED know-how with the old glass-blowing tradition, and the lamp won the iF Product Design Award and the Wallpaper* Design Award in 2014. High color rendering (CRI 90+) keeps wood, paper and skin tones true.
It comes as a table lamp, a pendant and a wall and ceiling light, in three body sizes, so one idea can repeat down a hallway or across a console.
Empatia Table Lamp
Best for: Side tables, consoles and bedside tables.
Hand-blown glass diffuser, clear to frosted; 3000K, up to 1273 lumens, CRI 90+; three body sizes; iF Product Design Award 2014 and Wallpaper* Design Award 2014; Made in Italy; 5-year Artemide warranty.
Empatia Pendant Light
Best for: Dining tables, kitchen islands and entries.
Same hand-blown glass, three body sizes, up to 1273 lumens at 3000K; drops up to 78.7 in. from the ceiling; hardwired by an electrician; built-to-order options take about 4-6 weeks.
Empatia Wall & Ceiling Light
Best for: Hallways, bedrooms and offices.
Glass diffuser clear toward the ceiling or wall and frosted below; up to 1273 lumens at 3000K, CRI 90+; hardwired by an electrician; iF Product Design Award 2014.
Copernico, Altrove, Eclittica and Mimesi: how do her machined lights work?
This is the engineer’s side of the story. Copernico lays flat for shipping, then opens into nine concentric ellipses laser-cut from one aluminum plate; the rings turn independently on two axes, so you can aim the light. It carries 384 LEDs and took a Red Dot Design Award in 2011 and the Compasso d’Oro ADI in 2014. Altrove wraps a mirror stainless steel frame around prismatic diffusers, available as a wall and ceiling light too. Eclittica is a slim ring built on flexible printed LED circuit boards, with a table version for desks. Mimesi is a 76 in. floor lamp with a polished recycled aluminum structure, made to use less energy and material.
Copernico Pendant Light
Best for: Dining tables, islands and open-plan rooms.
Nine concentric ellipses cut from a single aluminum plate carry 384 LEDs; 40.9 x 16.1 in.; 31W, 3000K, 2549 lumens; Red Dot Design Award 2011 and Compasso d'Oro ADI 2014; special-order options take 10-16 weeks.
Altrove Pendant Light
Best for: Long dining tables and open-plan living.
39.4 in. square and 3.94 in. high; mirror stainless steel frame with prismatic diffusers; 3000K, CRI 90+; dimmable, hardwired; standard delivery 2-4 weeks.
Altrove Wall & Ceiling Light
Best for: Hallways, bedrooms and offices.
23.6 in. square, 3.15 in. deep; up to 3260 lumens at 3000K, CRI 90+; mirror stainless steel frame; dimmable, hardwired; Made in Italy.
Eclittica Pendant Light
Best for: Dining tables, islands and entries.
A slim ring made with flexible printed LED circuit boards; white or black; 14W, 3000K, 1205 lumens; dimmable, hardwired; sold under Danese Milano (Artemide); designed 2013.
Eclittica Table Lamp
Best for: Home offices, reading corners and bedside tables.
Ring-shaped task lamp in white or black; 14W, 3000K; dimmable on the base; plugs in (120-240V); special-order options take 10-16 weeks.
Mimesi Floor Lamp
Best for: Reading chairs, sofas and living rooms.
76 in. tall; polished recycled aluminum structure; up to 3426 lumens at 3000K; dual switching, with the indirect light dimmable and the direct light on/off; chrome finish.
Yang and Come Together: can a lamp change how a room feels?
Artemide has studied colored light and color temperature since the 1990s, and our listing calls Yang the present evolution of that research: three projectors, red, green and blue, that mix into a wide range of colors. On the other end of the dial, Come Together is pure calm: a prismatic methacrylate body that runs up to 16 hours on its internal battery and charges over USB. Move it from the bedside to the balcony table and back again.
Yang Floor Lamp
Best for: Studios and living rooms that want colored light.
12.2 in. high, 15.7 in. diameter; three projectors with red (450 lm), green (800 lm) and blue (150 lm) filters; six small feet let it sit at different inclinations; special order, 10-16 weeks.
Come Together Table Lamp
Best for: Side tables, bedside tables and renters.
10.6 in. tall; up to 16 hours without mains power; USB charging with an internal Li-ion battery; 272 lumens at 2700K; dimmable on the body; white, aluminum or copper; dry indoor rooms (IP20).
How do I choose the right Carlotta de Bevilacqua lamp for my room?
Start with the job, then the room. These are rules of thumb, not law:
- Over a dining table: the pendant should read as a centerpiece, so choose Copernico, Altrove or Empatia. A common starting point is a bottom edge about 30-36 in. above the tabletop.
- Beside a sofa or bed: a table lamp such as Empatia or Come Together puts light at eye level, where it feels friendly.
- Reading or desk work: Eclittica or Mimesi for a clear pool of light.
- Hallways and entries: the Empatia or Altrove wall and ceiling lights give clean, even ambient light.
- Renting: only Come Together and the plug-in Eclittica table lamp skip the electrician. The pendants and wall lights are listed as hardwired, so ask your landlord first, or read our guide to lighting a rental without an electrician.
Not sure how bright a room needs to be? See how many lumens a living room needs. Lead times vary by option, from 2-4 weeks for standard stock to 10-16 weeks for special orders, so check each product page before you plan a party around it.
What goes well with Carlotta de Bevilacqua lamps? Five cordless companions
Her pieces love company, and the easiest companions need no wall at all. These five cordless lamps add candle-style glow wherever the table or terrace needs it; see why in are cordless lamps worth it.
Humble One Rechargeable Lamp
Best for: Candle-style glow at the dinner table.
Humble began in 2018 when founder Jorren Teertstra teamed up with the Amsterdam design studio APE; a long-lasting battery sits under a signature bulb that glows like a candle.
Humble Two Rechargeable Lamp
Best for: Dinner tables, shelves and bedside tables.
Designed in Amsterdam as the counterpart to the One: a slim stem and neat dome, with a sturdy battery hidden in the base and light modes from a candle-like glow upward.
Albert Rechargeable Table Lamp by NEOZ
Best for: Dining tables and sideboards.
Square-shouldered brass column hot-forged from a single ingot under a handmade cotton or pleated silk shade; made by hand in Terrey Hills, Sydney; IP30 (indoors); five-year warranty; charging base included.
Cooee 2 Rechargeable Table Lamp by NEOZ
Best for: Bars, banquettes and patios.
A glowing opal cylinder with soft sidelight and a gentle downlight; IP64, outdoor-ready; five-year warranty; made by hand in Sydney; charging base included.
Egg Rechargeable Table Lamp by NEOZ
Best for: Dining tables and bedside tables.
The NEOZ classic since 1998: a hand-blown frosted glass egg that glows softly in every direction; IP64, outdoor-ready; five-year warranty; charging base included.
Why is a Carlotta de Bevilacqua lamp worth the investment?
Because these are lamps you keep, not lamps you replace. The materials are the kind you can feel: hand-blown glass on Empatia, a single laser-cut aluminum plate on Copernico, a mirror stainless steel frame on Altrove, recycled aluminum on Mimesi. The designs have been tested by juries, not just by trends: Compasso d’Oro ADI 2014, Red Dot 2011, iF and Wallpaper* in 2014. Our Artemide listings state a 5-year limited warranty on registration, made in Italy, LED sources rated for 36,300 to 50,000 hours, and dimming on most models. And the light itself is the point: warm 3000K (2700K on Come Together), high color rendering on Empatia and Altrove, and shapes that spread light softly so you feel good in the room at 9 p.m., not just in the photo. Choose one hero lamp, let it carry the room, and you will still like it in ten years.
Your next step
Browse the full Artemide collection, or jump straight to pendants, table lamps, floor lamps and wall lamps. Curious about other Artemide designers? Meet Naoto Fukasawa and Michele De Lucchi. Want a hand choosing? Our design team is happy to help.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Carlotta de Bevilacqua?
An Italian architect and designer and a leading figure in contemporary lighting. She is a pioneer of LED design at Artemide, shaped its Human Light philosophy, and also leads Danese Milano, according to our Artemide listings.
Which Artemide lamps did Carlotta de Bevilacqua design?
LoftModern carries Empatia (with Paola di Arianello), Copernico, Altrove, Eclittica, Mimesi, Yang and Come Together, in pendant, table, floor and wall and ceiling formats.
What is Artemide's Human Light philosophy?
Our listings describe it as light that serves people's well-being and the planet, an idea Carlotta de Bevilacqua helped shape at Artemide.
Do Empatia and Copernico need an electrician?
The Empatia pendant and wall and ceiling light, Copernico, Altrove and Eclittica pendant are listed as hardwired, so have an electrician install them. The Empatia table lamp, Come Together and the plug-in Eclittica table lamp are portable or plug-in.
Can I use a Carlotta de Bevilacqua lamp in a rental?
Yes, if you choose a portable one. Come Together runs up to 16 hours on an internal battery and charges over USB, and the Eclittica table lamp plugs in. Both are made for dry indoor rooms.