Let’s talk about a bit of shady business—no Slim Shady pun intended, though it was tempting. After more than 14 months of secret work, we can finally share what we’ve been up to. Back in October 2011, Shades of Light invited us to collaborate on a lighting collection, and we jumped at the chance.
Our goals were simple: keep the designs casual, playful, and cheerful, and—this was the big challenge—keep the price under $99 across the collection. We even included $3 add-on pieces so people can update lamps they already own. Hitting that sub-$99 price point, especially with larger pieces like two-foot chandeliers, was tough. Shades of Light typically offers higher-priced fixtures, yet they were incredibly committed to lowering costs without sacrificing quality. We’re thrilled by how that teamwork paid off. For the full line of shades, pendant lights, and decorative add-ons, check the collection on Shades of Light.
Working on side projects like this helps support our family and keeps our creativity sharp. It’s a fun change from house projects, blog posts, and parenting duties, and these lights truly feel like little design babies of ours.
Below are a few studio shots of some of the pieces from the collection—our favorites, the ones that make us smile when we walk past them. We’re unabashedly proud.
Shades of Light is based in Richmond, so this project was a local collaboration from start to finish. We met at their office and hosted them at our house many times over the last year to sketch ideas, review prototypes, sample paint colors, see products in real spaces, and shoot photos for their online shop and catalog.
Many of the fixtures are assembled, wired, and painted in Virginia, but they ship nationally for anyone who isn’t local. The thought of these pieces traveling to homes across the country is pretty exciting—fingers crossed people love them as much as we do.
Clara served as our quality-control expert. She couldn’t pick a favorite—she wanted to cuddle them all. Typical.
The most fun stage was shooting finished lights in our house last November between book tour stops to see how they looked “in situation.” One example is a farmhouse pendant offered in several cheerful colors; the pink version looked especially charming staged above the sink.
For that shot we faked the hard-wiring—someone held another pendant just out of frame while we photographed the pink fixture clamped to a rod. The shoot was very DIY, full of laughter and improvisation.
Behind the scenes can look hilariously chaotic: giant reflectors, clamps, and rods everywhere. Catalog photos look pristine, but the setup is often a small production in itself.
Those drum pendants photographed beautifully in the final images. We ended up buying the scallop pendant shown in the center and plan to hang it in the window.
Remember the chandelier we teased in a recent post? It’s part of the collection and quickly became a favorite. At $89 for a two-foot-wide fixture, it felt like a great value. We chose the rusty bronze finish, but the piece is available in multiple locally painted colors like plum, dark teal, white, black, gray, and red.
One fun effect of the wire globe chandelier is the patterned shadows it casts on the ceiling when paired with a clear bulb. For a softer look, a frosted bulb works well.
Burger inspired one of the shade designs—yes, there are chihuahua-patterned shades in several colors. We wanted the collection to be flexible, so shades are sold alone for use on existing lamps and also as finished pendant kits that include the ceiling canopy and everything needed to hang them.
We also designed sculptural metal diffusers to add flair under drum shades—available in honeycomb or quatrefoil patterns. They’re one of the simple add-ons that can change the personality of an existing pendant or lamp.
And then there are the inexpensive $3 appliqué add-ons—little decals meant to personalize a lamp base you already own or a thrifted find. Options include bees, numbers, and scalloped shapes in a few colorways so you can mix, match, and layer for a custom look.
On a lighter note: during one early meeting for this project, Burger famously stole half a loaf of Panera bread off the dining table. It happened before any of us noticed, and his guilty face afterward was unforgettable. That snack he snuck was actually part of one of our first design sessions with the Shades of Light team.
That wraps up our 14-month collaboration: a collection of lights, shades, and small add-ons designed to be cheerful, affordable, and adaptable. If you’re not in the market, we hope the collection still sparks DIY ideas—maybe a painted pendant or a custom decal to refresh an old lamp.
And finally, a big thank-you to all of you. We wouldn’t be here without your support. What started as one small blog post in 2007 has grown into something we never expected, and we’re really grateful. You’ve helped make this possible—so here’s a virtual hug from us to you.