Award

October 2020

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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0 | 41 Lighting The latest bright ideas from the lighting industry by STACEY MCLACHLAN All Lit Up I t has been a strange time for the lighting industry … not that that's really surprising to anyone. With all of the market's biggest trade shows cancelled for the year the future of lighting looks a lot like the present. "I've been going to these shows for 34 years," says Jim Ormshaw, lighting specialist for Robinson Lighting. "Honestly, we're all feeling kind of lost." While vendors are getting creative with Zoom calls and WebX virtual tours, it's a big departure from the bustling shows of yesteryear. "Even when vendors are showing you something, they're saying 'it might be available next year.' It's hard to get excited," says Ormshaw. Production itself has been jammed up or is on pause overseas, which is creat- ing a bit of a holding pattern for an industry that's long been at the forefront of residential design trends. "Honestly, it's a pretty lackluster year. Everything in the lighting and design world is on hold for 2020," says Ormshaw. "Some prod- ucts that we ordered at the January Dallas International Lighting Show won't be available until late fall or spring 2021." That being said, despite this slowdown ideas are still percolating, installation trends are still happening, and lighting businesses are still prepared to light up their clients lives. Ormshaw's stores may not be bringing in much new product but sales are still booming, and certain looks are still trending upwards. Specifically, black light fix- tures – from ceiling fans to pendants to flush mounts – as designers and homeowners carry forward with their projects, even during the pandemic. "The design com- munity is still very busy," says Ormshaw. "The renovation market is really strong – the styles and designs just haven't really changed this year." Gold, he also notes, is still the metallic option of choice, particularly paired with those modern black options. LED OPTIONS ARE GROWING Over at Peerless Electric, its Arclux series is taking its cues from a modernist esthetic: the lights are sleek and minimalist, in crisp white or bold black (the perfect architectural detail in an all white or minimalist space). Though it's hard to know what office life will even be like in the future, with Peerless's offerings, they'll at least be beautifully lit. The brand's rectangular panel lights, available to hang horizontally or vertically, are a great alternative to fluorescents for institutions like offices, schools, or hospitals, illuminating spaces with a soft LED glow. The TB is the latest in Peerless's collection – a modern, energy efficient downlight tube that tucks between ceiling panels. Year after year, LED lights are becoming more efficient and affordable, and despite all the chaos that 2020 has wrought, this year is no exception. Jennifer Lifton, lighting designer for Nemetz (S/A) & Associates notes that as the effective- ness of LED increases, the options for size and shape of the actual lamp fixtures themselves are changing. "We're seeing smaller profile architectural lighting with higher performance," she says. "The trend is towards more efficient LED lamps, with good output at reasonable price points to replace more traditional sources." The TB downlight tube from Peerless Electric Co. The Magellan pendant lamp from Robinson Lighting & Bath. 12:16 PM 10:48 AM

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