By Andrea Lillo
Contemporary crystal and cleaner traditional looks were among the themes at June’s Dallas International Lighting Market, as exhibitors used the summer to expand both existing lines as well as introduce completely new brands to the market.
The former American De Rosa Lamparts has changed its name to Luminance, the parent company of what is now called ADL, as well as its other divisions. Having produced table lamps for the hospitality market for years, it also debuted a portable line for retail called Krush. With an initial group of more than 50 SKUs, the table lamps cover the gamut of styles—traditional, transitional and contemporary.
Quoizel launched its new line of table lamps for Lenox—departing from the traditional looks it has produced for this brand in the past, said Bobbie Pearsall, director of advertising. The nine initial designs all have clean, simple shapes and are made of such materials as ceramic, crystal and steel.
Crystal elements continued to crystallize, many with a modern adaptation. Swarovski debuted its new Lighting Centerpieces collection of fixtures in the U.S., along with a new showroom with its sister company, Schonbek. The six Lighting Centerpieces groups were each created by outside designers and architects such as Stephen Burks and Andre Kikoski as well as in-house designers, and include such details as sheets of crystal and handstitched leather.
Dale Tiffany debuted contemporary pieces in its Venetian-style crystal collection. The 11 styles are available in such colors as clear, frosted, amber, scarlet and purple art glass and crystal. “It’s a Venetian look in crystal,” said Ken Kallett, executive vice president. “It’s a new look for us.”
Several companies, while still rooted in traditional looks, brought in more contemporary styles. Kalco’s Manchester collection, for example, had an urban look in iron, available in four finishes. “It’s a departure for Kalco,” said Nicole Whitley, manager of marketing communications. “We’re aiming for the urban look, and there’s a place for it.”
Kichler showed several new collections that toned down the ornamentation, such as Townsend, which has slimmed arms, cleaner lines and a straight-side shade, said Jeff Dross, corporate director of education and industry trends. And while the diameters of introductions are not as wide as before, they are still elongated to accommodate the smaller houses that are now being built, he added. “People are not giving up their nine-foot ceilings. They don’t want eight-foot ones,” and need fixtures to match.
LED introductions at this market fell mostly in the task/desk lamp arena, and many had both style and substance. Bulbrite expanded its desk lamp offering with Symple and Swyvel, each of which had such features as touch buttons to dim and turn on/off. Available in either black or white, Swyvel also has a USB port.
In the Temporaries, DiCon Lighting debuted its Cielux consumer brand with several LED lamps. The Solare X is a sleek black task lamp that also has touch controls, allowing the consumer to toggle among 3,000K, 4,500K and 6,000K temperatures. It also came in a sophisticated black gift box.
Lite Source also continued to introduce new LED items, which were a hit at the show, said Joel Kent, director of marketing. Another well-received category for the company was its oversized polished steel products. More than 160 new items were brought to the show, Kent said, and 83 of those were being shown for the first time. Lite Source also recently released its new 393-page catalog. “We feel great about its look and feel.”
Hinkley debuted Lighting Made Simple, an 18-page publication to help consumers understand lighting basics and lingo, get design ideas and more. In addition, among its introductions were those that are American-made—the Loft group of maple, cherry and walnut pendants are crafted by artisans near its Cleveland location.
Former Vintage Veranda executive Mark Swavelle debuted his new Couture line in the Home FINDS temporary area, which targets the high-end designer market. While most of his looks are traditional, he updates them in some way, he said, mixing crystal bases with resin, for example.