Our porcelain lights are naturally eco-sensitive

The age-old quest for a good work/life balance was thrown into sharp focus by the events of 2020.

JULIE LAM, FOUNDER OF LAM LIGHTING

T For David and Julie Lam it also meant refocussing energies on work with deeper meaning. The couple had long dreamed of launching an artisan light business. Julie is a fine artist and ceramicist of 20 years, while David’s career in the UK lighting industry has included more than 20 years as a brand manager for several well-known British names. Conversations during the first lockdown with David’s work colleague and friend Hannah Thompson, a lifestyle photographer, inspired the couple and Hannah to take the plunge, pooling their skills to create their own brand and workshop near their respective homes on the Essex Suffolk borders in Constable country.

They wanted Lam Lighting to be guided by two core principles: a desire to place eco-sensitivity at the heart of the making process, and to prove that a commercially viable business could be more human-centric and offer a sense of close – and in this case, rural – community. ‘We saw a gap in the market for beautiful, ethical lighting,’ says David. ‘Our resolve to create the company was consolidated by the pandemic, and a desire to look to a more old-fashioned approach to work.’ Indeed, the Lam Lighting icon – a charming modern depiction of a lamb, hand-applied to each light – was chosen as an emblem of purity of intent and materials, and the optimistic beginnings of the company. It also plays neatly on their country location and Julie and David’s surname.