Product + Pattern: Dutton Brown

Photo by Jared Fessler Photography

One of the most fun parts about photoshoots is getting to play around with gorgeous products and accessories—the pieces that make the photos come to life. For our Spring/Summer '19 collection, we knew we wanted to keep the styling minimal but impactful, classic but modern. Enter Dutton Brown. This Minneapolis-based lighting company is rewriting the light fixture business with their highly customizable designs: you choose what you love, they build it.

Bloom (Taupe) bedding paired with a Dutton Brown chandelier

We had such a great time pairing their gorgeous lighting with our new patterns for our collection photoshoot that we decided we just had to know how they would pair our patterns with their lights. Keep reading to see their pairing and learn more about this innovative company.

Hygge & West: What inspires your work? What is your creative process like when designing new lighting?

Dutton Brown: Designing lighting is like cooking, and lighting parts are like ingredients. What you produce will only be as good as the ingredients (or parts) you use. For that reason, we are sure to use quality parts like solid brass, high-gauge steel, etc. What’s awesome with lighting design is that with just a few versatile parts, so many design combinations are possible. Our creative process involves using simple, quality custom parts we’ve developed to prototype and ping-pong ideas until we have something that we believe people will both find useful and love.



H&W: Why do you think it's important for your customers to be able to customize their lighting the way they're able to at Dutton Brown?

DB: The ability to customize your lighting is important because of how transformative lighting is, even more so when you add color. You probably bought your last sofa with some consideration given to color. Same for every wall color (or wallpaper) you’ve ever chosen. These decisions around color develop into what people consider to be your personality, and we felt lighting severely lacked options to make it your own. At Dutton Brown, our goal is to solve that problem by designing colorful options.

Dutton Brown sconces with Storyline (Delft Blue)

H&W: Lighting, like pattern, can completely transform a space. What are some of the things to consider when choosing a lighting fixture?

DB: Consider how you plan to use a space. Are you looking for more relaxed lighting or bright lighting for task work? A bit of research can tell you how much light your space needs by use and size. Also, unless a space is small, multiple sources of light are better than one bright source of light. Overly bright light fixtures make a space uncomfortable. If you need a chandelier, then shop for one that illuminates the space well enough for your needs, and then shop for additional fixtures to place where you need the light.

H&W: What are your tips for making sure that lighting works with the other elements in a space, like pattern?

DB: First, get samples to help you visualize. Companies like ours and Hygge & West offer these because online pictures sometimes aren't enough. Next, choose a lighting finish that complements the pattern in your space and doesn’t compete with it. The term “finish” has many definitions, but think of “finish” not only as a surface coating but as an opportunity to complete or perfect a space. If you have a colorful or complex pattern, perfect your space with a simple, classic finish like brass or polished nickel. Or if you have a simple pattern, you can make a statement by choosing a colorful light fixture.

H&W: Tell us about the product and pattern pairing you've created. Why does this pair work so well?

DB: We like the idea of using the Palma (Ebony) wallpaper with its subtle pattern combined with a pop of color via our Color Monarch wall sconce. The Palma (Ebony) wallpaper is a very chic option that from afar or in dim light may appear to be just black, but when illuminated with a sconce reveals its beautiful pattern. We also like the idea of using our black backplate which will blend well with the wallpaper and create a floating effect for the sconce. We had a hard time choosing which color fixture we like because we think they would all look good on such a versatile wallpaper.

A Dutton Brown pendant completes the look with Andanza (Rose) bedding

H&W: Hygge is about creating or finding coziness in life's small moments and simple joys. What brings hygge to your life?

DB: For us, what brings hygge into our lives is helping bring hygge into the lives of others. We found we shared a passion for design in common early, but our calling came when we realized our designs affect people’s emotions, especially with color. We hear the words “happy” or “glad” often from our customers about our lighting which engenders a sense of comfort and well-being for us. Happy customers make all our effort and work worth it. That’s hygge for us.

Photo by Jared Fessler Photography