The company was founded in 1946 by designer Bruno Gatta in Milan. Stilnovo, in a post-war context, was dedicated to producing innovative lighting. His luminaries are designed with the principle of rationalism where form follows function. During this period, the company's internal designer is Gaetano Sciolari. Very quickly the company, under the leadership of Dino Gatta (son of the founder), develops new products and quickly becomes a laboratory of material experiments and progressive ideas of design. The company produced emblematic works such as the Periscopio Floor Lamp in 1967 and the Lucetta Table Lamp in 1970. In 2012, Massimo Anselmi became artistic director and reissued the iconic designs in 2013.