WAC Group landscape lighting. Falls praised the company’s recent introductions in the catetgory. (Photo courtesy of WAC Group)
Darren Falls is director of merchandising at California-based lighting showroom Lightopia. Home Accents Today spoke with him about what he looks for when shopping the wholesale market for outdoor lighting.
When you shop for outdoor lighting, what are your top 3 criteria?
I think there’s one overarching question when I am looking for outdoor lighting: what is new. And of that, there are three criteria of newness I look for: New styles, new technology and new materials. I think all of them apply to the distinct sections of outdoor lighting – decorative and landscape. There has been such an expansion into the outdoor space as a real everyday living space. If it is decorative lighting, I want to see if they are thinking about how people are actually living outside – does it bring style and design that is approachable and domestic rather than strictly practical? Are they incorporating those three exciting newness pillars into it – style, technology or materials?
And for landscape, what innovation are they bringing? New controls, new installations?
Who are your go-to vendors in this category and why?
For decorative, Hinkley has a great history of material innovation and aesthetic quality. And I have really enjoyed recent introductions from WAC for landscape.
What kind of ratings are you most interested in — damp, wet, coastal? What kind of warranty do these fixtures need to have in your opinion?
Although we are a national retailer, our DNA at Lightopia is in Southern California beach towns, so we love when lighting has marine-grade durability. And I believe at a minimum, warranties should cover a full year of use, but I definitely think those offering three or more years of warranty coverage are showing that they have real faith in their products.
How important is a Dark Sky rating in your area?
Dark Sky is definitely important. More and more new construction and developments require it, so we know that is something people are looking for.
What about turtle-friendly features?
I haven’t seen demand for turtle-friendly lighting, but that may be the geography of our customers. So many new landscaping fixtures have adjustable CCT and variable color and temperatures built in; I think they lend themselves so readily to the turtle-friendly requirements, though.
