When it comes to lampshades, Americans are accustomed to a selection that spans the spectrum from white to … off-white. But there’s no longer a reason to stay neutral on the subject. With the stateside arrival of U.K. lighting brand Pooky and its riot of materials, colorways and cordless options, consumers and designers alike are now spoiled for choice. Just as thrilling, Pooky’s products are so affordable—and often so portable—that clients can comfortably treat their lighting like accessories, changing shades and bases to fit the season, the space, or even their mood.
“Pooky captures all different design styles and tastes,” says Jo Plant, head of design and production for the 10-year-old company, which is based in England’s Cotswolds region. “We allow customers to switch it up and express themselves—at a reasonable price.”
Breaking into the American market is a big deal for any brand, even one that has already established itself in England and across Europe, so Pooky did its research first. In its estimation, despite the overwhelming amount of product available, shoppers here were stuck with the conundrum of quantity over, if not quality, then variety. “The palettes are much more neutral,” says Plant, “and the more individualistic pieces tend to be very high-end.” (Read: expensive.) A recon trip to High Point Market last spring convinced the company that there was ample room for its quirkily personalized portfolio, and perhaps its convenient cordless lamps in particular.
The creative process behind Pooky’s plethora of designs is unconventional too. Beyond basic categories—table, floor, pendant, sconce, chandelier—the brand doesn’t organize its lighting by seasonal collection, nor limit it to a specific aesthetic. Art deco, midcentury, British maximalist: It’s all in the mix, whipped up according to the whims of Plant and Pooky founder Rohan Blacker.
“We both studied art history, so art is always a source of inspiration,” says Plant. “Something will spark us off, and it’s not necessarily what we need in the range but what we respond to, and what we think customers will respond to. A lot of it is gut instinct.” What it’s not is trend-driven. “If you start worrying about what’s in or out, it can compel consumers to say, ‘Oh well, even if I love that style, it’s not fashionable anymore, so I have to replace it,’” she reasons. “We want everything we make to be timeless.”
Developing new designs may not be an especially structured undertaking at Pooky, but it is an involved one, with Blacker and Plant tweaking every last detail alongside their manufacturing partners so that the end result is “made with a bit of love instead of off some production line.” That affection extends to the style names: Come to mention it, just what is a Pooky? From Mumford to Twinky to Sphynx, each design has its own distinct character. “They always make sense to us. Maybe not so much to other people!” says Plant of the kooky nomenclature. Among her personal favorites is the Wobster: a curvaceous, bobbly base in two sizes and natural, white- or orange-lacquered wood. “Like Pooky, it’s a fun name that doesn’t mean anything but speaks volumes.”
A curated yet comprehensive assortment of Pooky’s designs, including thousands of mix-and-match cordless combinations, is now available in the United States through its e-commerce site, which includes tools to visualize scale and offers discounts to the trade, plus free shipping and returns. On the eve of the company’s return to High Point in April, this time as a first-time exhibitor—“We’re going to make a big splash,” says Plant—peep this snapshot of its range now that “Pooky is here.”
COLORFUL
The rainbow palette for Pooky’s interchangeable lampshades includes brightly saturated solids, casual painter’s stripes, distinctive ikats, inventive abstracts, even custom paisley and leopard prints by fashion designer Matthew Williamson (“a lovely chap,” says Plant). The shades are rendered in cotton, linen, silk, paper and card stock in empire, drum and cone silhouettes of varying sizes. All are made at Pooky’s own factory in India, where fabrics are woven, printed, pleated, hand-stitched and trimmed on-site. “The quality of our lampshades is second to none. I defy any luxury brand to match the attention to detail,” she says.
Heraldic ikat printed linen, Pooky’s signature fabric, features red, green, lavender and yellow on a white ground with a cream lining. While ikat is Indonesian in origin, Pooky’s colorway also tips its cap to medieval tapestries. “If you have a minimalist interior, it brings a slight pop to a corner placement. If you have a maximalist interior, it adds to the madness,” says Plant. And when lit, the effect is that of “a beautiful jewel of color.” The same can be said of all of Pooky’s intensely hued shades, including the solid Dupion silk drums—“the fuchsia and saffron are particularly gorgeous”—and the gathered Taj silk tapered shades in raspberry and jade.
CORDLESS
With a battery life of at least 10 hours, dimmable bulbs, and base materials such as smooth white marble, polished bronze, industrial aluminum, clear glass and classic brass—all of which can be topped with any of Pooky’s shade options—the company’s compact, grab-and-go lamps are already a cause célèbre. Modeled after an antique candlestick, the Freya feels at home whether you’re dining alfresco or reading in the bath. “Cordless represents Pooky’s core values: infinite combinations, beautiful finishes—items you want to keep forever, not throw away,” says Plant. As the brand refines its technology, it foresees pioneering designs free of the constraints of a heavy base to house the battery. Rechargeable sconces expand the convenience. “You can literally buy one, put it up, no wiring required, no electrician required, no breaking into your plaster walls,” she adds.
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
Cool Britannia cottagecore will always have its devotees, and to them, Pooky extends a hand—literally. The Brighton wall fixture, executed in antiqued brass, consists of a tiny fist—perchance belonging to a Victorian waif?—with a fluted staff in its grasp. “It’s called the Brighton because Brighton Sands is Cockney rhyming slang for ‘hands,’” Plant explains. “With one of our colorful shades on top, it’s such a pretty little sconce.” And Wednesday Addams would absolutely dig it dressed in black.
Also ornate, the Coronet floor lamp, cast in amber resin, conveys a florid grandeur that’s just the right degree of kitsch. “It’s basically an ode to maximalism. There is not one bit of it that isn’t some kind of shape or pattern,” says Plant. Since, as a form of plastic, resin is not the most sustainable of materials, Pooky uses it sparingly, with some exceptions. “The Coronet’s amber color makes a real statement and sits beautifully in a busy environment.” Those with more equestrian inclinations might favor the vivid green of the Whinny table lamp, modeled after Mesopotamian horse-head motifs.
BLING RINGS
From the eclectic to the outright glam: Pooky offers an array of glittering chandeliers that won’t break the bank. Plant has the Galactica, Zeus and Loki in her own home. “The Loki is such a glamorous chandelier to dine beneath,” she says. All strongly influenced by the deco aesthetic, the Galactica frames its slim rectangular panels of mercury glass in brass, while both the Zeus and the Loki—along with the styles in the brand’s Roddy series—are made up of individual glass rods.
“Oftentimes you’ll see products that try to imitate the same effect with large segments of glass that are pressed to look like separate rods, but the light does not shine out the same,” says Plant. “It’s such a detailed process to construct, because there are so many individual pieces, but when the chandelier is turned on, there’s nothing else like it.” Further upping the sparkle factor, the Conchita chandelier showcases 40 heavy, faceted, rectangular glass drops set in antiqued brass. As of this writing, the style is already sold out on the U.S. website but is slated to be restocked ASAP.
CERAMIC, METAL AND CONCRETE
For something a little more down-to-earth, consider the artichoke-shaped Anetta, juglike Rufus, multileaf Stucco, and crackled, beaded Cowrie ceramic table lamp bases, which are cast and painted by hand in Pooky’s China factory. The company’s metal fixtures, like its lampshades, are made in India. “It’s very hard to get the kinds of finishes and patinas we do from mass-market factories,” says Plant. “We don’t work with those; we work with skilled artisans who really care about the craft. And the quality shows.”
Dimensionally layering one rectangle of antiqued brass on top of another in bronze, both framed by a bigger antiqued brass wall plate and backlit, the Gustav sconce evokes midcentury designs and even a touch of brutalism with its materiality and clean geometric lines. “The mixture of the brass with the bronze reflects the light in such a warm way,” says Plant. Also backlit, the minimalist disks of the Helios wall sconce in brushed gold or bronze create the corona of a miniature solar eclipse. Metals feature in many of Pooky’s contemporary pendants as well, like the antiqued brass Supermoon and straightforward Goodhew domes. There are glass pendant shades galore, offerings in rattan and jute, and a solitary, bell-shaped pendant called the Soprano that’s cast (wink, wink) in pale gray concrete.
“The objects you surround yourself with have such a massive impact on you emotionally,” says Plant. If a pink lampshade on an orange base makes your client happy, that’s the point. “Pooky is about people being able to express their personality, so that their home feels like their own, not anybody else’s.”
This story is a paid promotion and was created in partnership with Pooky.
