Bocci's permanent exhibition in Milan featuring the 84 Series, which is blown through copper mesh.
Photo: Fahim Kassam Clemens Poloczek
Creative Mind: Omer Arbel
The restlessly experimental co-founder of global lighting mainstay Bocci harnesses deep technical prowess to devise intricate fixtures that captivate the imagination
Omer Arbel. Photo: Fahim Kassam
Trained architect Omer Arbel quickly learned he prefers creating intuitively and improvisationally more than painstakingly wading through the red tape required to design buildings. The epiphany compelled the Jerusalem-born polymath to launch Bocci in 2005. With operations split between Milan, Berlin, and Vancouver, British Columbia, the lighting studio-lab-factory constructs wondrously intricate pieces that emanate from Arbel’s drive to explore novel production methods and the inherent properties of materials.
Return to form: Arbel hasn’t completely abandoned architecture: He recently unveiled plans for a development of luxury homes that seamlessly blend into the Pacific Northwest’s emerald forestry. Each low-slung dwelling is sheathed in spherical burls—sourced from regional cedar trees, which are dying off due to climate change—that will foster ecosystems of moss and lichen.
From the 28 series, blown glass and copper suspension light by Bocci. Photo: Courtesy of Bocci
Up next: Bocci is introducing the 141, a winged fixture formed from puddles of hot glass overlapping a metallic string. “I’ve spent a long time pursuing complexity,” Arbel says, “and now I’m interested in seeing how simple a method I could make and still achieve something totally magical.” Arbel’s oeuvre will also be spotlighted in a career-spanning exhibition curated by David Alhadeff, The Future Perfect founder and a past Galerie Creative Mind, during Milan Design Week in April.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
A residential project featuring Bocci's 21 Series, which is made with thin porcelain sheets. Photo: Clemens Poloczek
Bocci's permanent exhibition in Milan featuring the 21 Series, which is made with thin porcelain sheets. Photo: Paola Pansini
Bocci's permanent exhibition in Milan featuring the 28 Series, which uses an innovative glassblowing technique. Photo: Paola Pansini
Bocci’s new 141 pendant lights. Photo: Kate Williams
The Foundry, Berlin, featuring Bocci's 21 Series, which is made of thin porcelain sheets. Photo: Clemens Poloczek
Cover: Bocci's permanent exhibition in Milan featuring the 84 Series, which is blown through copper mesh.
Photo: Fahim Kassam Clemens Poloczek
