The city of Venice has always been renowned for its craftsmanship, particularly in the fields of wood, glass, and fabric. And it was among these skilled hands that architect Diana Zabarella found inspiration to create a unique product: the Canfin lamp. The result of a collaboration with our Tessitura and produced by Selène Illuminazione, this lamp revolutionizes the concept of lighting by combining tradition and sustainability.
The Creator of Canfin Lamps: Architect Diana Zabarella
Diana Zabarella is a talented architect who lives and works in Venice, a city that has helped shape her sensibility for traditional craftsmanship. Through her work, she ranges from architectural design to restoration, from interior design to product design, always keeping a keen eye on the lagoon city and the techniques for working with glass, fabric, and wood. These traditions, reinterpreted with a modern twist, have been the lifeblood for bringing Canfin lamps to life.
Canfin Lamps’ Play of Lightness and Modernity
The Canfin lamp is an extraordinary result of Diana Zabarella’s creativity, enhanced by the choice of precious Luigi Bevilacqua silk fabrics and the manufacturing expertise of Selène Illuminazione. The name “Canfin” is a tribute to the typical Venetian oil lamp used both at home and on boats and outdoors. This refined lamp is handcrafted, so each one is a unique piece that becomes an enchanting decorative element, whether on or off. It can also be customized, choosing from different types of wood and different colors and patterns for the silk fabrics.
With a modern and functional appearance, it features simple and rounded shapes that enhance the nature of the material used for the base, wood, and the lightness of the silk damask of the lampshade. LED bulbs, rechargeable via USB socket, lend functionality and sustainability.
What makes the Canfin lamp a work of art is the choice of some of the most sumptuous damasks in our collection: the Giardino Craquelé damask, the Grottesche Craquelé damask, the Craquelé damask, and the Laguna damask. These fine fabrics give the lamp a timeless beauty, thus combining the charm of the past with the technology of the present.
Giardino Craquelé Damask
Grottesche Damask
Craquelé Damask
Trivia About the Origin of The Name “Canfin”
The Canfin lamp draws inspiration from the typical Venetian oil lamp known as “Canfin.” This iron and glass lamp, fueled by oil, emitted a bright, animated light that was star-like in the distance in the dark. Once widely used before the spread of electricity, particularly in fishermen’s boats or in stables during spinning, it still survives today as an ornamental object.
On the origin of the name “Canfin,” there are several hypotheses. Some believe it comes from the union of the English terms “can” (container) and “fine” (refined), meaning refined oil can. Another hypothesis suggests that it comes from “camphene,” a substance used to power lamps around the mid-nineteenth century that was soon replaced because of the risk of explosion.
The Venetian Smart Lighting Award 2023
The Canfin lamp allowed Selène Illuminazione to rank among the finalists of the prestigious design award “Venetian Smart Lighting Award 2023” in the category “Special prize: CULTURE LIGHTS – Lighting products and solutions for the cultural”. This award aims to recognize and enhance the quality of the best lighting products and solutions made by the companies of the Network of Companies “Light in Veneto” and the Region.
The design of the Canfin lamp stood out for its ability to reinterpret the Venetian lampshade in a modern way, with high-quality materials and craftsmanship. The lamp is not just a design object, but an authentic work of art made entirely by hand, making each piece one of a kind.
This award recognizes some of the unique features of the Canfin lamp, which embodies the fusion of the charm of Venetian tradition and the innovation of modern technology, becoming an icon of elegance, sustainability, and timeless beauty.
