Phoenix-Based Lighting Brand Announces Mother-and-Son Duo as the Winners of Their Latest Design Challenge

KANSAS CITY, Mo., November 2, 2021 (Newswire.com) - Julie and James Arnold are the proud winners of Lucent Lightshop's sconce design challenge with a collaborative product available now on their website.

Lucent Lightshop is a custom lighting manufacturer that recently held a creative contest for interior designers and tradespeople. Entrants were asked to design a unique lighting fixture that could potentially be sold as part of their existing collection.

Julie Arnold of Place Interiors was selected as a top three finalist by the Lucent Lightshop team. After revealing her design to their Instagram community, she was voted as the winner—with a little help from her son James.

Although Julie has 20 years of experience as an interior designer with a formal degree from Boston Architectural College and a background in commercial and residential interiors, it was 14-year-old James that rendered Julie's winning drawings for her. 

Julie explains, "James has been learning modeling programs for some of his product design ideas, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to enhance his skills. He was on board right away!"

Truth be told, James rendered all three of the sketches that Julie submitted as entries for the contest. These sketches "wowed" the Lucent Lightshop team so much that they struggled to choose just one as a finalist. James also curated his own Etsy shop where he sells his creations.

Having used a variety of Lucent Lightshop lights in a cottage that she designed on Lake Superior, Julie was motivated to join the challenge by the opportunity to create a sconce for a brand she already admired. She was also inspired by the prospect of the proceeds being donated to a charitable organization of her choice.

Julie says, "I currently work closely with HALO, a non-profit that provides housing and healing to at-risk and homeless youth. [James has] also been involved with HALO, most recently by designing a one-of-a-kind hammered brass necklace that he donated to their annual fundraising auction."

When her three children were in their younger years, Julie would stay at home but always keep her hand in design development by collaborating with non-profit organizations to help them create products of their own. She believes in building a deeper meaning and impact through design. 

Julie chose to partner with HALO for this project because she is continually inspired by the important work that they do. She even started a program for HALO a few years ago called "HALOmakers." This is where the youth that they work with are given a chance to learn valuable life skills through the entire process of making a product, such as a reclaimed wood serving tray.

The winning sconce design for Lucent Lightshop was influenced by midcentury lighting and objects from Scandinavia, France, and Italy, as well as the current website collection. Julie claims that this Scandinavian aesthetic is woven into most of her projects. Julie named the sconce, Haven, tying into HALO's mission of providing safe havens of healing and hope for homeless and at-risk youth.

In terms of which types of areas or places this sconce could be installed, Julie enthuses that they would work well in multiple applications, from bedrooms and reading nooks, to kitchens and office spaces (both residential and commercial). "The bold, saturated color options would look great as accent lighting in a bathroom and also be fabulous statement pieces in hospitality settings."

This versatility is significant given that lighting is such an essential layer of design, says Julie. "It creates a mood for the atmosphere, not only with the warmth of the light but also the overall design of the light."

In fact, she invites others to think of lighting as she does—as sculpture or art with an added functional value.

Visit LucentLightshop.com today to check out and purchase Place Interiors' winning product with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to HALO. 

About Lucent Lightshop

Lucent Lightshop manufactures an inspired, hand-crafted collection of lighting fixtures for the design community, homeowners, and the stylish-minded. Their custom designs have been featured on HGTV, DIY Network, Martha Stewart's Handmade, and Real Simple magazine, to name a few.

Find them on social media @lucentlightshop, or visit www.lucentlightshop.com for more details. Press contact [email protected]

About Place Interiors

Julie of Place Interiors offers creative direction, design, and styling with a focus on crafting spaces and products that tell a story, while infusing sustainable and intentional selections. She also offers limited-edition art collections that benefit non-profits and has been featured in Domino, Houzz, and Midwest Home.

Find her on social media @place_interiors or visit www.createplace.co for more details.

About HALO

HALO is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2005 and is a foundation of a family for children without one. They provide housing, healing through the arts, and education to at-risk and homeless children. 

Visit www.haloworldwide.org for more details.

Source: Lucent Lightshop, LLC