It’s stiff upper lip time in the home furnishings industry, because despite tariff-induced uncertainty, the shows go on.
In Dallas last week, despite light traffic, lighting industry executives at Lightovation (and their counterparts at the Total Gift & Home Market) took orders, introduced a few new products (and one new company), launched new partnerships and hinted at future ones, and girded themselves for what will certainly be a rough road for the rest of the year, but one that will eventually (hopefully) lead to better times. Many are looking ahead and preparing for that.
“I’m very positive about the opportunity here,” said Jonathan Lucas, managing director of the U.K.-owned Lucas & McKearn. “We have to trust it [the turbulent economy] will settle down and people can work with confidence and stability.”
New company debuts
Arabela Lighting made its industry debut at Lightovation. Company founder Lee Nemeth began his lighting career at Home Depot Expo and served as senior vice president of Elk Group International for 16 years. He retired five years ago, but said he was lured back into lighting by business partners (and sisters) Susan and Sophia Wang. Staring a new lighting company made sense to Nemeth “as long as you do it with the right quality, in stock and ready to ship. … The customer wants that,” he said. He is targeting the higher end of the market with a lineup of fixtures featuring handblown glass, gold leafing and other handcrafted attributes. “We feel there’s a void [there] and if you are bringing in the right designs at the right price point, we’ll get the right reaction, and we have.”
Goods will be 70% in stock on July 1 and 100% in stock on August 1. Nemeth believes the tariff situation will settle down and is confident about launching a company amid economic turbulence. “Our strategy is to maintain a price point that’s comfortable for consumers so they can see the value in it.”
He acknowledged that he had the advantage of not having to raise prices since he is starting from scratch. “We’re the new guys,” he said. “We had five iterations of price points until [the Trump administration] put tariffs on pause [in early April.] But we’re always conscious of where price points [need to be] to make sure they are acceptable.”
New partnerships
Savoy House entered the portables category with a new lamp collection, both corded and rechargeable, from Coco & Dash. The 30 or so SKUs were designed by Coco & Dash’s mother-daughter team, Teddie and Courtney Garrigan.
“After being in retail so long, shopping for lighting and not being able to find things that excite you, you start to say, ‘I’m going to make a lamp,’” said Courtney Garrigan.
“It’s really fabulous,” added Teddie Garrigan. “It shows that collaborating with the right company makes all the difference in the world. This was a match made in heaven.”
“We’re excited to have them,” said Leslie Killingsworth, senior vice president of marketing and merchandise at Savoy House. “They love color, and they take traditional to a new place.”
The 10 rechargeable designs have well-thought-out design elements, like a half-round mini marble base lamp whose slim profile would work on a kitchen counter, bookshelf or other small space. Other rechargeables feature reverse-painted glass in Pantone colors.
The full-size lamps, meanwhile, are all derived from original molds, which were created from sketches by the Garrigans, Killingsworth said. “These are truly unique to them.”
The collection, called Town & Country, includes sophisticated as well as more rustic pieces, with painted glass, metal, stone or ceramic bases.
Interior designer Dann Foley is also partnering with Savoy House on a line of fixtures and lamps that will debut in Dallas in January, Killingsworth said.
Another new lighting partnership was on display in Dallas. Varaluz, which was acquired by Ciana Lighting at the end of April, came to market with several new collections, many of them demonstrating Ciana’s production and customization capabilities. Three hundred new lighting pieces and 50 to 70 new mirrors are planned for a January launch, according to President Ron Henderson.
“It’s an amazing reset for Varaluz,” Henderson told Home Accents Today when the acquisition was announced. “We have amazing expertise and support [from Ciana], helping us get to the next level.”
Among the Varaluz introductions were Brasserie (shown at top), a charcoal and brass pendant that resembles a range hood (it was originally designed by Ciana to coordinate with high-end kitchen appliances); Mingle, a liner design made of handmade swirl glass with the driver incorporated into the bulb for easy replacement; and Peep Show, a layered metal construction design that is a nod to Henderson’s mentor, Kalco founder Harry Kallick, who passed away in 2022.
New ALA president
Jon Melchi, who was appointed president and CEO of the American Lighting Association in May, was in Dallas for a meet-and-greet in the Minka showroom. Melchi, who most recently served as executive director of the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, succeeds Larry Lauck, who retired earlier this year.
