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Like nearly every item for your home, lighting is now available in an endless number of styles, finishes, and options. (A simple Google search for “lighting” will make this abundantly clear – and deliver results in the billions.) But even amidst this often overwhelming array, it still feels like something is missing in the lighting market, a sizable dark spot: the elusive combo of stylish, well-made, and affordable lighting. Sure, lots of big box retailers have attractive mass-produced options, and there are plenty of gorgeous custom lights for big bucks, but unique fixtures that don’t cost a fortune are few and far between. Or so I thought.
So where does one turn for a brand that checks all the boxes of quality craftsmanship, unique and stylish designs, and an accessible price point? As it turns out, you just need to look up. Well, not to the ceiling, but up geographically speaking to our neighbors to the North. For this elusive combo can be found in one Canadian lighting brand that’s bringing it all together: Huey.
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Huey Began With One Bright Idea
The founder of Huey, Bret Williams, didn’t initially set out to create a stylish line of lighting. After working in product and graphic design, she returned to her native Canada to work for Toronto interior designer Brian Gluckstein. While there, she was tasked with creating everything from bedding to lighting for the designer’s product line, Gluckstein Home. Around the same time, Williams also moved into a new condo and was confronted by an all too familiar sight: the infamous dome-shaped flush mount lights (aka boob lights). When she couldn't find a design-minded and cost-conscious replacement for this underwhelming light fixture, she simply put her design and product development skills to use and created her own.
That first fixture, dubbed the Cherub ($298), is a surface mount light consisting of two stacked rings and a matte porcelain exterior. Simple, stylish, and elegantly understated, it was the antithesis of the bland flush mount. With the Cherub, Williams launched Huey (the name is a playful take on the word hue) – and the lighting market gained an attractive and accessible addition.
Let There Be (Even More) Lights
As it turns out, the launch of the Cherub was just the beginning of a very bright future for Huey. The brand has since expanded its materials and styles, to offer additional surface mounts, wall sconces, pendants, and table lamps. The Prairie, which comes in a pendant ($479), sconce ($425), and table lamp ($525), has a unique pleated ceramic shade and walnut wood accents. Inspired by the roofline of a country house, it’s both modern and timeless, and wouldn’t be out of place in a granny-chic cabin or a minimal urban space. The Pebble, available in a pendant ($349) and sconce ($349), is a simple porcelain dome shape, like an elegantly rounded hillside, with a perfect walnut “pebble” detail on top. The same dome shape is stripped down even further on the Sable and Archive sconces, featuring sparse but refined wood backplates.
Two additional sconces introduce another material – linen shades – in distinct ways. The Tudor has a tubular shade design with a wavy raw steel design, while the Hawthorne consists of a graceful half-round walnut base with a snug shade atop.
Quality Lighting That Comes Naturally
Besides Huey’s mission of accessible lighting with uncommon quality, the fixtures display an artisan approach to design and construction – far from the manufactured feel of most mid-range lighting. All pieces are still made by hand at Huey’s headquarters in the Blue Mountains of Ontario. From the slip-cast process for porcelain shades to the assembly and wiring, a total of at least 4 hands touch each fixture before it heads out the door. The rural, small-town setting also informs the design inspiration for the brand, with an emphasis on shapes and materials found in nature. The earthy-inspired colors of the porcelain pieces (like sand, sage, storm, and midnight) are also plucked straight from the Canadian lakeside locale.
Brighter Things Ahead
Even with an array of styles on offer, Huey isn’t content to sit back and just flip a switch. The brand has plans to expand in the future – with new lighting styles on the horizon. Founder Bret Williams says we can expect additional lamps, new candelabras, and creative collaborations coming very soon.
With its artful approach, quality construction, and accessible price points, Huey has certainly proven you don’t have to spend a ton of money to bring a unique and stylish addition into your home. All the light fixtures offer something truly special, with every detail considered, and the quality of a custom piece (without the exorbitant cost). So forget about that dark spot in the lighting market. Consider it fully brightened by Huey.
Brighten your space here.
5 More Reasons To Love Huey:
- Huey fixtures start at just $129 USD for the mini Cherub surface mount and max out at $300 for the Prairie table lamp.
- The lighting is made to order and by hand, meaning greater attention to detail and craftsmanship.
- To ensure your new lighting will look just right in your space, you can order a sample of each finish to review right at home.
- All the fixtures are UL listed, suitable for use with dimmer switches, and several are bathroom rated for use in damp environments.
- Huey also sells stylish merchandise, like custom illustrated t-shirts, totes, and caps, to brighten up your wardrobe too.
