Davide Groppi Wins Two Compasso d'Oro Awards

Established in 1954, and run by the ADI Foundation since 1964, the Compasso d'Oro (Golden Compass) Award bills itself as "the oldest and most influential international design award." Designs for consideration in the prize are based on pre-selection made by ADI Permanent Observatory of Design, made up of designers, critics, historians, journalists, ADI members and other experts. The 23rd prize is notable for Groppi's receipt of two awards.

Davide Groppi describes the uber-minimal Nulla as "the denial of everything." The recessed LED lamp is only 18mm (3/4") in diameter, but the pinpoint of light strongly and dramatically illuminates floor and tables surfaces below it. Per Groppi, the secret to Nulla's "illusion and magic" is "a hidden optical system."

Likewise, the Sampei floor lamp, designed by Groppi with Enzo Calabrese, serves to illuminate table or floor surfaces, arcing overhead (from 2.3 to 4.4 meters; 6-/12 to 14-1/2 feet) like a long blade of grass, or more accurately a fishing pole.

Each minimal light is used in the Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. Nulla lamps illuminate the corridor leading to the dining rooms where Sampei lamps highlight the tables and the food upon them. Or as Groppi poetically states: "Light in the plate and in the eyes of people."