Lighting Ideas from the New American Home

Touring a model home is a fantastic way to gather inspiration and ideas for your new home or home remodel. And when the show homes are The New American Home (TNAH) and The New American Remodel (TNAR) with over 6000 square feet of living space each, the lighting ideas really flow. It's quite a feat to plan these immense show homes, and Progress Lighting has proudly partnered with show home's design and build teams, the International Builders Show, and other sponsors for several years to complete the show homes without a hitch.

"Collaborating with the design teams behind The New American Home and The New American Remodel has been a great experience the past few years, and the 2020 homes were no exception," said James Thomas, Senior Product Designer for Progress Lighting.

The process began in the spring of 2019 when the Progress team met with the New American Home design teams at the Progress Lighting showroom at the Dallas Market Center. They reviewed the floorplans and renderings for the homes, discussed the product options, and selected an eclectic range of lighting styles that achieved the desired design intent for each home plan.

"As a product designer, I always love to see my designs used in an unexpected way. I usually have a particular style of room in my head for each design, and it's fun to see them used in a completely different way," said James. "In both of these houses, we collaborated with the designers to push the boundaries for style and application, and I think the final results illustrate the versatility of the fixtures that we used."

An example of boundary-pushing design is the clustered lighting used in the living area of both homes, creating a more unique, customized look than could be achieved with a single, centrally installed fixture. In the New American Remodel Home, fourteen Astra fixtures were hung at varying heights, making a stunning statement that was also visible from the outside through the two-story glass facade on the front and back of the house. The firework-like effect serves as a beautiful contrasting accent to the clean lines of the architecture.

The New American Home featured multiple sized Calder chandeliers clustered together above the seating area, offering a dramatic focal point.

A popular takeaway idea for those who toured the homes was the non-traditional placement of fixtures throughout the floor plan. For example, in the study of The New American Home, the designer chose to stagger five brushed nickel and leather Jeffery Allen Marks Point Dume Lookout wall sconces on a dark wood accent wall rather than placing a pair of sconces on the wall in the more traditional manner, for a beautifully unconventional result.

"Often homeowners feel like they need to stick with one particular design style or finish theme throughout the home, but these projects both show that metal finishes and styles can be mixed to create a fantastic result… a truly collected look rather than a formulaic one."

Progress Lighting was awarded a "Best Ever" team award for our participation in the TNAH and TNAR projects. And congratulations to Renata Caldwell, Strategic Accounts Manager for Progress Lighting who received a well-deserved individual "Best Ever" award for her role in supporting the projects. After the fixtures were selected, Renata worked with both builder teams to coordinate deliveries and assist with installation questions, including coaching on which light bulbs to use for the most impactful look.

"One of the best things about working with projects like this one is the chance to collaborate with top builders and designers. Together, our visions came to life in such unexpected ways. I can then use this learning experience to guide my builder clients towards the best lighting to offer their home buyers," said Renata.