Articles
I have something super exciting to show you. Pay a visit to our Web site, www.ResidentialLighting.com—pretty please! We’ve completely overhauled the look and content and are relaunching the site this month, and I’m just... read more
Randall Whitehead likes to play with dolls. I’m serious: The man is so enamored of dolls that he’s written a book about them. Available this month, “Lost Dolls: The Hidden Lives of Toys” presents photographs Whitehead has... read more
Firmly established as the second home of the American lighting industry, China now looks to raise its profile beyond that of Factoryland. In the wake of the communist country’s recent embrace of capitalism... read more
Our company, Vintage Hardware, sells more than 2,500 items of antique restoration hardware and 250 authentic reproductions of lighting. We even sold some early gas Neo-Rococo fixtures to the White House when they did their... read more
Amid a fanfare of public relations and environmental goodwill, Wal-Mart recently pledged to sell 100 million compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) by the year 2008.
This pledge sent a collective shudder through the greater... read more
“Buying a shade without a lamp is like buying a hat without your head.”
That’s the industry adage lighting veteran Ashton Harrison laughingly quotes when asked how she handles lamp shade displays in her... read more
If Karen Wolf were a type of lighting, she says she’d be a color-changing LED. It’s an appropriate choice for this industry dynamo, principal of The Wolf Group—her self-titled manufacturers’ rep organization... read more
Already in its pilot stages, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ for Homes is set to officially launch this coming summer, causing industry insiders who watched LEED... read more
Landscape lighting can be one of the most intimidating categories to conquer.
“If customers come in wanting to light their bedroom, they already have some level of experience,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, ALA instructor and... read more
It’s true: Members of the design trade are picky. They are opinionated. And they have great profit potential. Yet, concerned that designers’ and architects’ needs are too great (a whole-home makeover), too limited (one or... read more
From former models to home furnishings divas, big-time businessmen to small-screen stars, the licensing phenomenon is alive and well. Licensees like Elk Lighting (Trump Home, Biltmore Estate), Murray Feiss (Martha Stewart,... read more
It’s not uncommon for customers to traipse through the employees’ break room at Brooklyn Park, MN’s Lights on Broadway. Though many will get an offer to sample lunches as they pass through, they’re there to check out the... read more
Lighting showrooms deal with two types of builders: smaller, locally owned companies with tight budgets and margins and large, national companies—also with tight budgets and margins. The resulting tendency to point clients—... read more
When Brian Kleinberg of Elements Distinctive Lighting & Home Furnishings in Carle Place, NY, accepted the ARTS Award for East/Atlantic Lighting Showroom at the 17th annual gala in January, he had a lot to say, and he... read more
You can’t miss Metro Lighting’s towering facade at dusk—it beckons with a light show, as LED illumination runs the course of the color spectrum.
Owner Bill Frisella purchased the facility last year as a central shipping... read more
California’s Title 24, compact fluorescent technology, LED alternatives: As the call for—and debate about—energy-efficient illumination has dominated industry forums in recent years, such terms have become familiar entries... read more
Many of the out-there designs springing forth from European (and even some smaller American) markets may seem the equivalent of haute couture. Sure, they’re interesting to look at, but wherever would you put them?... read more
When was the last time a customer (who wasn’t a contractor or designer) asked for a product by name and item number?
“When customers are shopping, they’re typically more interested in design and value,” says Brian... read more
Tania Frampton: Inspiration for fan designscan come from anything—something you’ve seen in a magazine or on a piece of furniture, how you like the blend of a certain metal with a certain wood or even an appliance. One... read more
In January blogger “Susanna” fed this item to mega-retailer Lamps Plus’ LightPost! Web site (blog.lampsplus.com): “The colorful, jewelry-like look of this table lamp from our Bijoux Collection caught the eye of the Woman’s... read more
