Hudson Valley Fleming chandelier
During our recent trip to the Lightovation trade show in Dallas, we got a sneak peek at all the hottest new looks in the world of lighting. We were especially excited to visit the Hudson Valley Lighting Group [HVLG] showroom because, across all four of their brands (Corbett Lighting, Hudson Valley, Mitzi, Troy Lighting), they offer a great variety of truly beautiful lighting designs.
Their showroom is a beautiful place, filled with innovative design, expertly crafted finishes and (of course!) twinkling lights. All around us, we saw lighting buyers excitedly scanning the latest fixtures, delighting in the scale and unexpected details that have become synonymous with the Hudson Valley brand.
While we were there, we had a chance to catch up with Brent Fields, Vice President of HVLG. It was a fun and easy conversation that ran the gamut from the latest trends in home lighting to which fixtures he chose for his own home. (Spoiler Alert: Hudson Valley ones, of course!)
First up, our most pressing question: With so many lighting companies creating designs like those offered by Hudson Valley, what does our online shopper need to know about choosing the premium quality of your fixtures over ones that look like Hudson Valley fixtures?
“Every little detail on a fixture that you see from Hudson is thought about,” he said, explaining that HVLG makes use of processes such as die-casting, forging and brass extrusion to create its signature light fixtures. These processes are expensive, Fields admitted, but worth it.
“We think about everything. We engineer everything…. We want it built a certain way.” This attention to detail is given to the entire fixture, including the canopy – which is just as beautiful as the fixture itself. “We’re putting all these little details in there for a reason. It’s what catches your eye,” he said.
And details that are not intended to catch your eye – like thumbscrews and attachment hardware – are placed inconspicuously so to not disrupt the look of the fixture.
HVLG recognizes that even with a finishing detail like a lampshade, there is an opportunity to elevate the lighting experience. Fabric lampshades are lined both inside and out with seams that are stitched instead of glued, like in this Locust Grove lamp.
Fields and the HVLG team are constantly sourcing new and innovative techniques to ensure they are bringing best-in-class fixtures to market. He enjoys challenging his glass manufacturers to push the boundaries of their craft by making innovative styles of glass, like the basketweave look showcased in the Dartmouth chandelier.
We noted that alabaster lighting is the latest trend in fashion lighting. And while most companies featured alabaster in their new collections, we delighted in all the ways Hudson Valley found to incorporate the gypsum they sourced from Spain. With its pristine white finish and white veining, this natural material is perfect when backlit by LED, which won’t burn the alabaster.
To Fields, details like perfectly sculpted glass, seam-stitched linen shades and perfectly white alabaster show the customer that “someone thought about me” when making the light. “Those are the details and the things that make Hudson Valley who Hudson Valley is.”
Recently, HVLG has expanded its manufacturing network into the Philippines, Vietnam and India. Each country has its own signature, unique style of craftsmanship that is reflected in the fixtures made there.
More than 100 new Hudson Valley items debuted at the January 2020 Lightovation. There are more new introductions to come in April and some of those will be part of a new collaboration with an East Coast-based designer. Fields won’t name names for now, but we’re looking forward to seeing who will join Becki Owens, Corey Damen Jenkins, Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Mark D. Sikes as a designer for HVLG brands. Plus, there are even more new items to come in October!
“Normally I’m just finishing photography for January now,” Fields joked as he talked about this busy schedule of 2020 new releases.
The HVLG brands have grown quickly and new people have come on, including younger designers who give a fresh new perspective to the brand Mitzi.
Mitzi creates a new point of view that serves aspirational young customers, offering up high-fashion lights at more approachable prices. The brand’s portfolio even includes plug-in wall lights, sometimes called wall lamps, that are a great option for renters or anyone who can’t hard-wire new lights but still wants to change up their style.
Fields is proud of the approach HVLG takes to designing and crafting lights that are sure to become a beautiful centerpiece and conversation piece in any room.
“We’ve enjoyed pushing the envelope with the brand, doing things that other people don’t do,” he said. “We do things a lot different than other people and we don’t follow anyone. We do what we want to do.”
And that is why touring the Hudson Valley Lighting Group showroom at the Dallas Lightovation Market is one of our favorite stops.
