A light fixture included in Shades of Light’s new Chris Loves Julia collection. (Photo courtesy of Shades of Light)
A Midlothian-based lighting fixture maker is looking to capitalize on the spotlight attained by two well-known home renovation personalities.
Shades of Light officially launched in May its new Chris Loves Julia Collection, which is a line of lighting products that license the home design brand of Chris and Julia Marcum, a married couple known for their social media and blogging.
The 13-piece collection includes chandeliers, sconces, flush mounts and pendants. The collection consists of three lines – the Marlo (fluted shades in milk glass or colored ceramic with brass or black frames), the Victor ( oversized two-tone shades in gloss colors) and the Edie (two-tone cone shades in gloss colors on black or brass frames), per a company news release.
Shades of Light CEO Bryan Johnson said the company hopes to tap into the Chris Loves Julia audience to grow its own customer base.
Shades of Light owner Bryan Johnson stands within the company’s Midlothian headquarters. (BizSense file)
“It helps us reach a new audience. The Chris Loves Julia blog and social media accounts have a very large following, largely comprised of home decor enthusiasts.” Johnson said, “We saw a lot of overlap with a very similar audience we weren’t necessarily reaching with our website and catalog.”
Shades of Light had the Marcums on its radar for a while, and reached out to the bloggers in late 2021 to pitch the idea of a lighting collection.
“We’ve been aware of their blog for quite some time and followed them for years. We knew they were a leader in the home decor and social media world,” Johnson said. “We loved the fact they were doing it as a couple and a family unit.”
Johnson said Julia Marcum provided direction for the style of the collection that Shades of Light developed. Shades of Light is the sole seller of the products, which range from $145 to $875.
“I wanted to create lighting pieces that add personality and are easy to style, so I selected bold, moody colors that offer impact yet also read as a neutral. I envision many of these fixtures over a kitchen island or a dining room table,” Julia Marcum said in a prepared statement.
Home renovation bloggers Julia and Chris Marcum of Chris Loves Julia. (Photo courtesy of Golden Word)
Johnson described the arrangement as a “multi-year” agreement in which royalties are paid out to the Marcums. He noted Chris Loves Julia has similar licensing agreements with other companies.
The deal with Chris Loves Julia isn’t the first such business relationship for Shades of Light, which also has a similar product licensing arrangement with home design brand Young House Love, which was founded by former Richmonders Sherry and John Petersik.
Shades of Light has grown in recent years by building on its original model as a catalog and brick-and-mortar retailer as well as increased online sales and marketing. The company has a store across from Willow Lawn shopping center in addition to office and warehouse space on Justice Road in Midlothian.
Shades of Light was founded by Ashton Harrison in 1986. Johnson and a business partner bought the company in 2011.
A light fixture included in Shades of Light’s new Chris Loves Julia collection. (Photo courtesy of Shades of Light)
A Midlothian-based lighting fixture maker is looking to capitalize on the spotlight attained by two well-known home renovation personalities.
Shades of Light officially launched in May its new Chris Loves Julia Collection, which is a line of lighting products that license the home design brand of Chris and Julia Marcum, a married couple known for their social media and blogging.
The 13-piece collection includes chandeliers, sconces, flush mounts and pendants. The collection consists of three lines – the Marlo (fluted shades in milk glass or colored ceramic with brass or black frames), the Victor ( oversized two-tone shades in gloss colors) and the Edie (two-tone cone shades in gloss colors on black or brass frames), per a company news release.
Shades of Light CEO Bryan Johnson said the company hopes to tap into the Chris Loves Julia audience to grow its own customer base.
Shades of Light owner Bryan Johnson stands within the company’s Midlothian headquarters. (BizSense file)
“It helps us reach a new audience. The Chris Loves Julia blog and social media accounts have a very large following, largely comprised of home decor enthusiasts.” Johnson said, “We saw a lot of overlap with a very similar audience we weren’t necessarily reaching with our website and catalog.”
Shades of Light had the Marcums on its radar for a while, and reached out to the bloggers in late 2021 to pitch the idea of a lighting collection.
“We’ve been aware of their blog for quite some time and followed them for years. We knew they were a leader in the home decor and social media world,” Johnson said. “We loved the fact they were doing it as a couple and a family unit.”
Johnson said Julia Marcum provided direction for the style of the collection that Shades of Light developed. Shades of Light is the sole seller of the products, which range from $145 to $875.
“I wanted to create lighting pieces that add personality and are easy to style, so I selected bold, moody colors that offer impact yet also read as a neutral. I envision many of these fixtures over a kitchen island or a dining room table,” Julia Marcum said in a prepared statement.
Home renovation bloggers Julia and Chris Marcum of Chris Loves Julia. (Photo courtesy of Golden Word)
Johnson described the arrangement as a “multi-year” agreement in which royalties are paid out to the Marcums. He noted Chris Loves Julia has similar licensing agreements with other companies.
The deal with Chris Loves Julia isn’t the first such business relationship for Shades of Light, which also has a similar product licensing arrangement with home design brand Young House Love, which was founded by former Richmonders Sherry and John Petersik.
Shades of Light has grown in recent years by building on its original model as a catalog and brick-and-mortar retailer as well as increased online sales and marketing. The company has a store across from Willow Lawn shopping center in addition to office and warehouse space on Justice Road in Midlothian.
Shades of Light was founded by Ashton Harrison in 1986. Johnson and a business partner bought the company in 2011.
FYI: That upside down frisbee shown in the main picture above is $359. That is absolutely wild
Why is it wild? It’s functional art with small business ties. $359 is quite reasonable.
There seems to be a pretty low bar for the term Functional Art to be applied — that thing looks characterless and I guess is one of those appliances that rely on the interestingness of the BULB to carry the look into interesting, almost. But you can usually get such fixtures for less than $30 — I guess the difference of $300 is you get the fuzzy “small business ties” added in, but not sure the NEXT buyer will feel it since it still looks mass-produced. See what kind of ceiling fan you can get at lowes for that much… Read more »