Paradise Lights Press
5 Things We Love
For Friday, July 22, 2011
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 22, 2011
http://www.staradvertiser.com/features/20110722_5_Things_We_Love.html
Copper sconces age gracefully
People in Hawaii are always looking for ways to give our homes a sense of place, and these handcrafted copper sconces made locally by Leighton Lam do just that. The artist uses a vertigris patina to accent his floral and ocean designs, and the copper only gains character with age and can withstand even salty environments, making them ideal for outdoor installation. Prices run from $290 to $350. See more of Lam's designs at http://www.lehttp://www.paradiselights.com — Christie Wilson
5 Things We Love is a shortlist of newly discovered stuff you have got to see, hear, wear, use or eat. What are you loving this week? Send a brief description of your latest favorite thing, where to find it and how much it costs, along with your name and contact info to features@staradvertiser.com.
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Island Chic
Art doesn’t always have to hang on a wall or sit on a shelf. It can tell time, block the afternoon sun, keep you warm or serve pupu for a party. Meet 10 Island artisans who create stunning, functional pieces for the home.
By Tiffany Hill
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Leighton Lam
Paradise Lights, copper light fixtures
What started out as frustration over a lack of locally made light fixtures turned into a profitable business for Leighton Lam. Lam and his wife, Lani, were nearing completion on their three-story custom home and studio for Lam’s jewelry line, but they fruitlessly hunted for Island-themed outdoor entryway lights. “None [of the lights we saw] felt Hawaiian enough,” says Lam. “So, being an artist, I thought, ‘I’ll just make my own.’”
His first light-fixture designs were of heliconias and waves, and, after friends and contractors pressed him to make lights for their homes as well, he seized the opportunity and created Paradise Lights in 1992.
While Lam says the complete process for making the lights is a trade secret, he starts by creating detailed drawings of the different design elements of each light. The drawings are then transferred in a metal cutting process to create a design template. The designs are cut into copper, brass, aluminum or stainless steel—copper being the most popular. “We want the lights to last forever. Copper will last longer than any metal in Hawaii,” says Lam. To get the green effect of the lights, Lam uses an industrial-based exterior paint, and, for an aged look, simply puts the fixtures in his swimming pool for three days.
Paradise Lights come in five different designs, each created with a left and right side. The fixtures are sold as a set for $680 or a single side for $350 and come in three different sizes, with a fourth size scheduled to be available soon. 4974 Poola St., 373-3317, www.paradiselights.com.
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On Sunday January 30, 2000 the Honolulu Advertiser published the following article about Leighton Lam and his innovative lighting products.
Lighting up Paradise
Artist fills niche by creating fixtures with tropical flavor
By Paula Rath, SPECIAL TO THE ADVERTISER
Artist Leighton Lam believes in starting small. That's how he began designing earrings out of his home in 1978. Today his jewelry is sold in 250 department stores and boutiques. His latest venture, Paradise Lights, is still a homespun, handmade, one-at-a-time business. But the instant popularity of these elegant lighting fixtures may mean he has to hire some help. And soon. Paradise Lights is the result of Lam's frustration with what was available in outdoor lighting in Hawaii. Or rather, what wasn't available.
What's next for Paradise Lights? Lam hopes to adapt his designs to other regions of the United States, creating aspen leaves and elk for the Colorado market and lobster boats for New England, for example. He also plans to create floor lamps in his signature style.
After he and his wife Lani completed their new home in lower Waialae Iki in 1997, they wanted lights to enhance the exterior. "Everything we found was made on the Mainland and designed to be in a colonial home or a San Francisco-style home," Lam said. "When we put a picture of the fixture up to get an idea of how it would work, it turned our house into a Mainland house. We knew we wanted something Hawaiian."
Lam contacted local architects, interior designers and lighting consultants to try to find a source. But he learned that no one was making island lighting fixtures with an island look that could withstand Hawaii's climate. So Lam decided to make his own. Using the same technology and materials he employs in his jewelry, he took the largest sheets of metal he could find, 18 by 24 inches, and crafted lamps using his unique metal etching process. There were many technical challenges to overcome, but, in his practical, pragmatic fashion, Lam tackled them one at a time. He experimented with numerous metals and concluded that copper was the best choice. "Copper is the most expensive material you can make a light out of," Lam said, "but for outdoor use in the Islands, it's the only one that will survive and not disintegrate."
The next hurdle was the glass. His research led Lam to Mr. Sandman, a business that provides the sandblasting that gives the glass the perfect frosted finish. Sanding every tiny detail of the copper continues to be a problem. "There's a lot of labor involved to get the excess patina removed from the copper. There are lots of edges that cut the sandpaper," Lam said. "I go through an incredible amount of sandpaper on each lamp."
Creating the designs is the easy part. Lam has more than 100 already stored in his head, waiting for him to find the time to get them into production. His designs are inspired by nature: A monstera leaf, a heliconia flower and a wave were his first ones. He has now added ginger and bird of paradise. Lam's circle of friends convinced him to get serious about manufacturing the lighting fixtures. Now about 15 of them have Paradise Lights in their homes, and word of mouth is spreading fast.
Jean and Ethan Abbott of Wailupe Circle added four Paradise Lights to their new oceanfront home. "There were many lights out there, but nothing as unique as Leighton's Paradise Lights. I don't know why, but they remind me of the old days," said Ethan Abbott. The Abbotts bought four large fixtures, two to mount on the garage and two to hang adjacent to the front door. "We're really happy with them," Abbott said. "They're very sturdy and they stand up to the ehukai (ocean spray)."
Since Paradise Lights were introduced at the Made in Hawaii Festival and the Pacific Handcrafters Guild, Mainland visitors have purchased them for homes in Seattle, Southern California and the San Juan Islands.
GREGORY YAMAMOTO · The Honolulu Advertiser