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The Tiffany-style products on display at the Dallas market looked brighter than ever, and thankfully, the display areas were noticeably cooler than in years past. Why? More Tiffany manufacturers are now lamping their selections with compact fluorescents (CFL). What started as a cost-saving measure (it’s hard to sell an unlit Tiffany yet incandescents generate a lot of heat) provided an added bonus: a whiter light that makes the colored panels of Tiffany patterns even more vivid.
     Since today’s CFLs closely match the silhouette of the A-lamp, they are virtually undetectable unless the shade is removed. At first, Tiffany manufacturers weren’t promoting the use of CFLs (consumer resistance had been high until recently) and all continue to ship their products with incandescent bulbs. However, since they display more lamps than a typical showroom, Tiffany manufacturers were utilizing them at market to reduce the amount of heat in the showroom and save energy. But retailers noticed that there was something different about the Tiffanies lamped with CFLs – the patterns and colors appeared to be brighter. They also “warmed” to the opportunity of lowering heat and energy costs in their own showrooms.
     “Some consumers feel that Tiffanies don’t give off enough light,” Todd Phillips of Quoizel told me at the show. The whiter light of a compact fluorescent addresses that concern, he said. Todd added that Charleston Lighting (the South Carolina retail store owned by Quoizel which offers lighting, accessories, and furniture from a wide assortment of manufacturers) uses CFLs in all of its displays.
     Ye Chung of Dale Tiffany, who began using CFLs to light the Tiffanies in his High Point and Dallas showrooms three years ago, reported that several of his customers have followed suit in their retail show-rooms. “Lamps Plus has converted all of their showrooms to compact fluorescent,” he noted.
     “We are embracing CFLs,” Joel Nekritz of Meyda Tiffany told me. “The quality of the light is good. The stained glass looks as bright with a CFL as it does in sunlight – it makes the colors pop. There is no yellow cast, plus it’s cooler and saves energy,” he explained. “We find that the 23-watt CFL is great for illuminating floral patterns in Tiffanies,” he added. Meyda Tiffany has relamped its Dallas and High Point showrooms with CFLs wherever applicable.
     Kichler went one step further and heightened retailers’ awareness of using CFLs by placing hang-tags on each lamp or fixture that was lamped with one.
     Bulbs aside, the news in Tiffanies at the Dallas market also involved color and style preferences. Tiffany maven Stan Schlesinger of Kichler designed some traditional-style Tiffanies with a Colonial look by juxtaposing touches of lilac with beige honey glass. For other new styles, he incorporated accents of turquoise. “We’re meeting the needs of different regions. After all, what sells in Florida doesn’t always sell in Chicago. The turquoise tones appeal to the Southwest market,” he told me. “I think of Tiffanies as a way to add color into the home. Color makes you feel more alive and gives you a Spring-like feeling, but the overall design must bring beauty to the eye.”
     For another design, Stan employed a “Flemish” style. “The background has a flowing effect that resembles how water looks,” he said. The technique uses rollers to create texture and color with a watery appearance. It’s the same sheet of glass that is used elsewhere on the lamp, but the striations in the glass are processed differently. “You want each piece of glass to relate to the glass piece next to it,” Stan noted. “The more creative I am with Tiffanies, the better the sales are. There will always be a market for direct reproductions, but young customers want updated colors and a more contemporary feeling.”
     Ye of Dale Tiffany said the market is shifting a bit to more Victorian patterns and colors. “There are more earthtones and ambers requested for the glass, and the bases are more ornate in Victorian styling. Approximately 90 percent of our castings are exclusive to Dale Tiffany,” he commented.
     “There are still a lot of collectors out there in the market looking for our Limited-Edition collection,” Ye noted. “We keep adding to the Limited-Editions because there is a need.” Ye also pointed to buffet lamps as a popular style with customers. The latest designs from the company feature Favrile art glass that is manufactured in the same manner that Louis Comfort Tiffany made famous.
     “Mission is still strong, but in different glass colors such as seafoam green and mauve,” Ye said. “Mahogany is the color of choice for the wood bases in Mission.”
     Joel of Meyda Tiffany observed that consumers and retailers are intrigued with unusual profiles. “They want very complex patterns, like the border of sunflowers we have on one of our new designs. They are expecting higher price points, but they want intricate designs that differentiate these Tiffanies from those offered by mass merchants,” he stated.
     “Lighting showrooms are also displaying more of our stained glass window panels and fireplace screens. Their customers are buying them like crazy,” Joel added.
     Todd of Quoizel also takes the pulse of the consumer public frequently. “The larger Tiffany pendants are in demand as foyer pieces. Instead of the typical foyer fixture, homeowners want to set the home’s overall mood and ambiance with a Tiffany,” he explained. “Tiffany fixtures in general are enjoying growth. Homeowners are used to seeing Tiffanies as portables and have become accustomed to the Tiffany look. Now they are willing to permanently mount them to their ceilings and walls, even going for cheerful colors and motifs as well as neutrals.”
     Quoizel offers direct reproductions as well as some new interpretations that Todd described as “free-form shapes that are a bit out of the box. We’re always looking for nuances in Tiffanies because it is an art form,” Todd explained. “Since Sept. 11, people are spending more time at home. Tiffanies make you feel good.” Since the Tiffany market remains strong, the consumer public obviously agrees.

There was a much-whispered-about new rep organization launched at the Dallas show, did you hear about it? What do you think? Tell me at: editorial@homelighting.com.