The Details Are The Story
An Interview with Kelly Wearstler
With a legendary roster of projects in high-end residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality design, Kelly Wearstler wrote the book on luxury lifestyle brand-building before partnering with Visual Comfort in 2015 — and over 350 lighting designs later, she’s never looked back. Yes, there’s the infamous Linden Table Lamp, but also scores of other fixtures that bring Wearstler’s signature warm-minimalism-meets-bold-strokes style to homes around the world. Here, the designer shares a look back at our partnership, a snapshot of her design process, and a hint of what’s next.
The Details
Are The Story
An Interview with Kelly Wearstler
With a legendary roster of projects in high-end residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality design, Kelly Wearstler wrote the book on luxury lifestyle brand-building before partnering with Visual Comfort in 2015 — and over 350 lighting designs later, she’s never looked back. Yes, there’s the infamous Linden Table Lamp, but also scores of other fixtures that bring Wearstler’s signature warm-minimalism-meets-bold-strokes style to homes around the world. Here, the designer shares a look back at our partnership, a snapshot of her design process, and a hint of what’s next.
Q: Your body of work is so diverse, but there's definitely a unified aesthetic to everything you create. Do you approach lighting in a similar way to designing physical spaces?
Every collection starts with a deep exploration of craft materiality and form.
From experiential interiors to product design, art, photography and fashion, my work fuses together elements from an amalgam of influences to create something that pushes at the boundaries of design and recognizes the inherent beauty in contrasts.
Q: Your body of work is so diverse, but there's definitely a unified aesthetic to everything you create. Do you approach lighting in a similar way to designing physical spaces?
Every collection starts with a deep exploration of craft materiality and form.
From experiential interiors to product design, art, photography and fashion, my work fuses together elements from an amalgam of influences to create something that pushes at the boundaries of design and recognizes the inherent beauty in contrasts.
Q: Our customers are obsessed with your pieces for Visual Comfort. Where do you go to get inspired when you're designing lighting?
I find design inspiration everywhere – from traveling and artwork to architecture, fashion and landscape.
The Avant Collection, for example, was inspired by a minimalist abstract painting I came across at an auction. We translated the formal interplay between painterly lines and arched forms into a sculptural lighting collection that exudes an elemental simplicity.
Q: Our customers are obsessed with your pieces for Visual Comfort. Where do you go to get inspired when you're designing lighting?
I find design inspiration everywhere – from traveling and artwork to architecture, fashion and landscape.
The Avant Collection, for example, was inspired by a minimalist abstract painting I came across at an auction. We translated the formal interplay between painterly lines and arched forms into a sculptural lighting collection that exudes an elemental simplicity.
Q: Even your simplest pieces earn their place in a room. Is that part of your design philosophy?
Lighting is a critical component in communicating a design story. It’s functional, but as long as it’s part of an interior or exterior environment, shouldn’t it make a statement?
Whether you’re creating a mood, establishing a sense of space, drawing the eye to a focal point or enhancing architectural elements, lighting plays a crucial role in a room’s design narrative. The details are the story.
Q: Even your simplest pieces earn their place in a room. Is that part of your design philosophy?
Lighting is a critical component in communicating a design story. It’s functional, but as long as it’s part of an interior or exterior environment, shouldn’t it make a statement?
Whether you’re creating a mood, establishing a sense of space, drawing the eye to a focal point or enhancing architectural elements, lighting plays a crucial role in a room’s design narrative. The details are the story.
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Ophelion Small Pendant in Bronze with Alabaster
Q: It’s hard to believe, but we’ve collaborated on lighting for eight years. Can you share a bit about our partnership from your point of view?
My design process is an intuitive, multi-layered approach.
The inspiration for a given collection provides a starting point, and after sketching, modeling and rendering to scale, Visual Comfort’s craftsmen work to bring the design to life. It’s a true team effort. Beyond my collections, I think it says a lot that we continue to collaborate with Visual Comfort on custom lighting designs for our residential, hospitality and commercial interior projects. Visual Comfort applies elevated materials with real craftsmanship to create lighting fixtures with quality and presence.
Q: It’s hard to believe, but we’ve collaborated on lighting for eight years. Can you share a bit about our partnership from your point of view?
My design process is an intuitive, multi-layered approach.
The inspiration for a given collection provides a starting point, and after sketching, modeling and rendering to scale, Visual Comfort’s craftsmen work to bring the design to life. It’s a true team effort. Beyond my collections, I think it says a lot that we continue to collaborate with Visual Comfort on custom lighting designs for our residential, hospitality and commercial interior projects. Visual Comfort applies elevated materials with real craftsmanship to create lighting fixtures with quality and presence.
Q: We know you’re always traveling, looking, learning, brainstorming. What’s next for your lighting collections?
I love experimenting with scale and reinterpreting form and proportion.
Newer technology allows for thinner profiles, as opposed to the chunkier forms once required to accommodate traditional bulbs. As we transition into a more environmentally conscious future, the possibilities of pairing more sustainable, efficient and multi-functional lighting with exceptional design will become infinite.
Q: We know you’re always traveling, looking, learning, brainstorming. What’s next for your lighting collections?
I love experimenting with scale and reinterpreting form and proportion.
Newer technology allows for thinner profiles, as opposed to the chunkier forms once required to accommodate traditional bulbs. As we transition into a more environmentally conscious future, the possibilities of pairing more sustainable, efficient and multi-functional lighting with exceptional design will become infinite.
SHOP THIS PRODUCT
Phobos 2 Light Small Pendant in Natural Brass