Designer confession time: Lighting stresses me out. Why, you ask? Well, as a designer, my job is not only about sourcing and creating beautiful pieces that my clients will love, but it is also (and perhaps most importantly) structured around technicality. What is up to code, functions properly, fits correctly, can arrive safely, and so on. Lighting’s got a lot of these technicalities, which can make it pretty stressful.
A nice light fixture needs to check off a whole bunch of boxes for me before I even consider showing it to a client. Here are a few things to remember and mistakes to avoid to help simplify your search.
Nine times out of ten, if your light fixture doesn’t come sealed in a box with a UL Listed certification (called CSA in Canada, and CE in Europe), an electrician will not put it up. Because voltages and wiring vary by country, light fixtures need to be tested and certified as safe by their destination country before an electrician will touch them. If you’re ordering a fixture from overseas, make sure the supplier has the necessary approval before you go through all the trouble getting it here, just to be told no.
This is probably one of the biggest nonnegotiable factors that I consider when sourcing, and there are quite a few factors to consider.
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