Makers Insights

This Decorbuddi Makers Insight is the first in a new series celebrating our remarkable specialist partners whose skills and original, quality designs help us to create beautiful, individual homes and gardens for our clients. From one-of-a-kind furniture to thoughtfully crafted lighting design, these are the inspirational creators making a real difference to the way we live.

Spark & Bell: UK Lighting Designer Maker

Spark and Bell is an innovative Brighton based designer and maker of handcrafted lighting.

Bridging the gap between mass-produced retail lighting brands and high-end artisanal pieces, Spark and Bell offers personalised lighting designs at attainable prices. Working in partnership with talented wood-makers, ceramicists and eco-artisans, every design is handmade. This individual production process enables orders to be customised to client’s unique preferences.

Focused on sustainability and a commitment to working for the greater good, Spark and Bell is the highest rated B-Corp certified decorative lighting design company in the world.

First Light

Looking for well-made, interesting lighting designs for her first home, founder designer Emer Gillespie discovered that almost everything was either mass-produced or at a premium price. Emer has a textile degree, specialist knowledge of fibre optic weaving and lighting design experience, and so decided to make her own. Spark & Bell was formed.

Encouraged by the vibrant Brighton community, the company grew. This creative energy continues to fuel the development of new lighting designs and innovative, sustainable technologies.

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Planet-Positive Lighting Design

An important zone within the Brighton studio is the in-house recycling workshop. Here, innovative processes are developed to transform waste plastics into beautiful materials that become wall lights, floor lamps and pendant lights, shining in customers homes. In 2024 alone 267kgs of plastic waste was taken in and 183kgs recycled into light ranges.

Innovative techniques are used to create a marble-like material from waste plastic. A new recycling process uses old CD covers. Separated into colour categories they create a stunning “Jewel” like material. The award-winning “Seraphin” chandelier saves 8.6kgs of plastic from landfill for every single item made.

The team regularly do beach cleans with UK environmental Charity “Leave No Waste” and are working on a new collection utilising marine waste.

Collaborative Creativity

There is a strong belief, shared by Decorbuddi, in the power of creative collaboration. “We have elevated the quality of our offering by curating a community of local makers to help bring our designs to life” says Emer. This is complemented by a commitment to supporting British manufacturing. 80% of the costs of all goods sold are made within a 200 mile area and 22% are made locally within Brighton and Hove.

“We are always pushing to provide more work and consistent ordering for local suppliers and improving ways of doing things. It is traditional for lighting designers to hide the names of their suppliers, for example. Instead, we keep the names of our artisans on their work. This leaves a tangible thread from original maker through lighting design to the customer and the space in which the piece eventually lives.”

Bespoke Designs

Many of the lighting designs have come from conversations with clients. Because everything is handmade there is flexibility and a willingness to create exactly what the client needs for their lighting scheme. Pendant lights are made using stems rather than chains and can be measured to a bespoke length. Lights can be produced in custom RAL colours. Sizes can be altered. Pendants are transformed into wall or bedside lighting. Plug and switch control systems can be added to any lighting design and the cables turned into a feature.

In one of our Decorbuddi projects, we were working with a very low kitchen height, for example. Spark and Bell provided short stems for the reeded glass pendants so that they could hand over the work surface. See here

Lifelong Customer Relationship

There is a timeless elegance to the modern design and Spark & Bell retain long-term relationships with their customers . “Not just here’s your light, see you later!” says Emer. “If there is anything that goes wrong, even if it’s well past the warranty, we will ask the customer to send it back into our workshop and do our best to keep it in circulation for as long as possible.”

An unusual and inspiring level of commitment to People, Product and the Planet translates into quality lighting design that makes a difference. Timeless design.

www.sparkandbell.co.uk