For Southern California based interior designer Jeffrey Alan Marks, lighting was the most natural choice for his next collaboration. Light plays a restorative role in his life and is an essential element in his design projects. Read here for a look inside Jeffrey's inspiration and experience collaborating with Progress Lighting.
We understand one of your favorite places, Point Dume, California inspired your first collection with Progress Lighting. Tell us how you translated such a meaningful place into your lighting designs.
I was raised on the West coast and live there today so the natural beauty of California inspires all my design work, whether it be furniture design, textiles or lighting.
For this collection, I focused on the raw strength and captivating beauty of the landscape through the finishes and materials. I translated the light and shimmer of the surf into glass and the weathered terrain of Point Dume into brushed and galvanized metals. I interpreted the resilient sandy shore into textures such as woven materials, rope and leather.
What first intrigued you about venturing into the lighting category?
I believe lighting can be an art form. It is complex. Lighting is expected to be so many things at once—essential, decorative, purposeful and beautiful. I wanted the physical details to translate into timeless designs that were artful and natural.
What was the design process like for you?
Progress Lighting is a remarkable 100-year-old company - they not only helped me realize my vision but did so much to educate me and guide the process. The Progress team embraced the aesthetic direction and brought their exceptional level of technological expertise and innovation to the project. Design Series™ is meant to appeal to interior designers as well as consumers who are passionate about design. Reaching that community through lighting was so interesting to me.
I knew when I met the development team at Progress that they would go that extra mile to develop lighting that was beautiful, functional and would truly help interior designers and consumers find a new lighting resource for their projects. I am honored to have been chosen as the first guest designer for Progress's Design Series.
What's next for JAM… as a successful, sought-after interior and product designer with multiple home decor licenses under his belt?
My firm has so many great projects underway in several fantastic places from Mexico to Denver, San Francisco, Austin, Nantucket, Aspen and more. We're adding a new office in East Hampton and moving our west coast office to a new location in Santa Monica. I'm also working on designs for a new fabric collection and some new product that expands upon my current collaboration with Palecek.
I am looking forward to sharing my point of view with Progress Lighting's wider audience. The Point Dume™ Collection is accessible, well crafted, modern lighting and I hope people will love the line as much as I do!
