Virginia Cei

Virginia Cei: a new voice in Italian design through collaboration with Italamp

Virginia Cei, born in 1992 in Pisa, Tuscany, represents a generation of young Italian designers whose work combines academic training, craft traditions and international experience. Virginia Cei graduated in Industrial Design from the Russoli Higher School of Arts in Cascina. Virginia Cei developed an early interest in applied arts and contemporary product design.

An important milestone in Virginia Cei’s development as a designer came through the Scenari di Innovazione competition organised by Artex, where Virginia Cei’s project won first prize. The achievement opened access to the professional design community and strengthened Virginia Cei’s commitment to developing an individual style at the intersection of industrial and handmade approaches.

Virginia Cei gained valuable experience in furniture craft production in Italy and abroad before moving to Qatar for five years. The period helped Virginia Cei develop design and management skills while also supporting personal growth and broadening views on the role of design in a global context.

A key stage in Virginia Cei’s creative career began with collaboration with Italamp, one of Italy’s leading decorative lighting manufacturers. Virginia Cei designed a first product for Italamp in 2021, combining purity of form, poetic use of light and respect for materials. The professional community and critics highly regarded the work. Virginia Cei was selected in 2022 to participate in the TEN WOMEN DESIGNERS exhibition, organised by the Pio Manzu Foundation under the curatorship of Federica Sala and with design support from Sara Ricciardi. The exhibition provided an important platform for presenting the contribution of women to contemporary Italian design. Virginia Cei’s project highlighted the significance of a young authorial voice in the international discussion of form and light.

Virginia Cei continues an active professional career through ongoing collaboration with Italamp and a fresh perspective on decorative lighting. Virginia Cei’s projects are marked by attention to detail, a refined sense of materials and a desire to create objects between function and aesthetic experience.

Light serves as more than an illumination source in Virginia Cei’s work. Light provides a way to tell stories, express culture and reveal the emotional meaning of a space.