The Light Between - Light that Reveals Matter

In the context of Fuorisalone 2026, when the city becomes an open laboratory of research and experimentation, Novacolor chooses to explore what is not immediately visible: the interval in which light passes through matter, transforming surfaces into an architectural language.

Thus was born “The Light Between”, the brand’s annual concept from San Marco Group, bringing the 2026 Signature Collection to life. The philosophy of this collection will be experienced at the Novacolor Showroom in Brera, set up during Fuorisalone under the artistic direction of architect Michael Vincent Uy. This is not a mere exhibition, but a cultural and sensory gesture designed to engage design professionals and international creatives, where every element becomes a narrative tool, and where light and material meet to reveal depth, imperfections, and unseen details.

The Concept: Light as Revelation
Light does not enter through perfection: it slips into gaps, unexpected spaces, and intervals between full and void. It is there that it unveils what would otherwise remain hidden. In “The Light Between”, light is not decoration: it is action, transforming imperfection into value, conveying substance and meaning. Every Novacolor surface thus becomes alive, to be observed and traversed with the gaze, in a dialogue between touch, color, and depth.

The Signature Collection
The collection is expressed through six design pieces, each inspired by a different way light interacts with matter:

• RADIANCE – Intense, diffused light that illuminates and energizes the material.
  Products: Archi+ Big, Archi+ Concrete, Metallo_Fuso (brass, copper, bronze), R-Stone (pearl and red)

• GLEAM – Momentary glimmers that highlight hidden details and surprise the eye.
  Products: R-Stone (gold, green, pearl), Eclat_Wall Painting

• HIVE – A network of raised points that dialogue with light, transforming texture into luminous details and perceptible depth.
  Products: Verderame_wall painting Fondo, Metallo_Fuso (copper)

• INTERLUDE – The suspended space where light filters and reveals what was hidden.
  Products: Archi+ Concrete, Novalux E

• WEAVE – Fossil-like textures, each fiber a groove that captures the light.
  Products: Archi+ Concrete, Africa

• FACET – Geometric planes that capture light and reflect it in shifting highlights.
  Products: Marmur Fine, CalceCruda Tinta a Stucco

The unifying thread of the photographic shots, curated by photographer Matteo Imbriani with creative direction by Freedot agency and styling by Studio Salaris, is the encounter between light and matter—a theme running through the entire collection and shaping its narrative.

“Every finish in The Light Between takes shape in the encounter between light and gaze, transforming surfaces into a unique and contemporary design experience.” – Anna Bertaccini, Brand Marketing Manager, Novacolor

Novacolor at Fuorisalone

With The Light Between, Novacolor reaffirms its role as a cultural and sensory brand, going beyond the product to offer immersive experiences. For the occasion, the Brera showroom, reimagined by architect Michael Vincent Uy, becomes an experiential device rather than a mere exhibition space. Voids, volumes, and surfaces are designed to be read through light, which guides the visitor’s journey, inviting them to slow down, perceive, and navigate the space with care.

During Fuorisalone, the showroom assumes an almost museum-like dimension, where color deliberately gives way to material. Surfaces take center stage: textures, depth, and reflections reveal the tactile dimension of Novacolor materials in a carefully calibrated tone-on-tone environment.

Six Medea Chairs, reinterpreted by Uy in Metallo_Fuso finishes, are also on display. Their structure remains unchanged, but the surface transforms perception, demonstrating how a material treatment can alter an object’s character.

“In this project, we deliberately shifted focus from color to material. The showroom becomes a space to explore the tactile and luminous dimensions of surfaces: walls, furniture, and volumes act as material fields that interact with light and define the atmosphere.” – Arch. Michael Vincent Uy

In this way, both on walls and furniture, finishes become the instrument through which space takes shape and reveals itself to the visitor’s gaze.

“The Signature Collection becomes a tool to stimulate the senses, evoke emotions, and inspire architects and designers in search of original, sophisticated, and memorable solutions.” – Roberta Vecci, International Marketing Director, San Marco Group

It is not fullness that creates beauty, but what light passes through, making the invisible visible.