Minimalist lighting popular among young people

Minimalist lighting popular among young people

Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Deciding which lighting fixture one will choose in terms of
design and function is a matter of taste but there has been a
growing trend among young people to use modern and simple
"minimalist" lighting for their homes.

The classic lighting style remains popular among particular
groups of people, especially married couples above 45 years of
age.

"But with the change of lifestyle that requires high mobility
and efficiency, more young married or single executives and
professionals below 40 have developed their own taste when it
comes to the choices of lighting for their homes," said Jemmy
Hendra of Indonesia's representative of Jehann Klauss
International Co.

For this particular market segment, a minimalist lighting
style was much more popular, he said.

Compared to classic or semi-classic style lighting, the
minimalist style has a simpler design, with white and gray as the
dominant colors. Minimalist style lighting uses stainless steel
as its frame and glass as its bulb cover.

The demand for decorative lighting both for minimalist and
classic styles is on the increase as at present, the people not
only buy lighting fixtures for illumination but also for
decoration purposes.

When designing a lighting plan for a living room or family
room, for instance, one has to consider the varieties of
activities that occur there. In the living room, one is required
to place a ceiling lamp or to include general lighting for
entertaining and watching television, task lighting for reading
or sewing, and accent lighting for artwork, plants and
interesting architectural features.

Archlite, Istana Design, Jehann Klauss, Megah Lite and GK
Electric, to name but a few, are among the companies that sell
decorative lighting.

Jehann Klauss, for instance, provides a broad collection of
modern and simple lighting fixtures such as ceiling lamps,
pendant lamps, desk or table lamps, bathroom lamps and kitchen
lamps.

The company sells the products at Melandas and Calia furniture
outlets in big malls in town, such as in Ratu Plaza in South
Jakarta, Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta, Kelapa Gading Mall
in East Jakarta and Pluit Mega Mall in North Jakarta.

To meet the growing demand for the items, Jehann Klauss will
open its new outlet for lighting in Mangga Dua, Central Jakarta
in December of this year.

Despite the increasing demand for minimalist lighting, the
competition in the products is not as tight as that occurred in
general lighting because the number of companies engaged with the
business remains small.

The price for items at Jehann Klauss range from Rp 300,000 to
Rp 2 million (about US$235), depending on the size, design and
brand.

Another company that focuses on minimalist lighting fixtures
are Archlite on Jl. Panglima Polim, South Jakarta. Like Jehann
Klauss, Archlite also sees an increase in demand for its items,
especially ceiling lamps, pendant fixture, wall lamps and desk
lamps.

"Many young married couples have purchased the items from our
showroom because the items match their modern houses," said Budi
Listijadhi of Archlite.

Despite its relatively high price, the items, all of which are
imported from Italy, Spain, Denmark and Japan, are sold well.

Other favorite items include Danish-made pendant fixture with
Norman Copenhagen design sold for Rp 10 million, Italian-made
standing map with Figlo Terra Model for Rp 6.3 million and
Japanese-made standing lamps with Yamada Shomci model for Rp 4.7
million.

Prices for lighting will depend on the size, model and brands.
The price starts from around Rp 200,000 for a small desk lamp to
Rp 21 million for a standing lamp.

To lure buyers to purchase lamps, Archlite is currently
launching a 'great sale' through which customers can buy the
products at discounted prices. The discounted prices on offer
range from 2 percent to 50 percent, depending on the items. The
great sale is usually held ahead of the new arrivals.

But if you have a passion with semi-classic items, then check
out GK Electric, also on Jl. Panglima Polim. The company has two
showrooms, in the first and second floor. Its first floor
showroom provides not only a wide range of lighting but also
lighting accessories, which keep the room busy.

Its wide collection of classical lighting, including Austrian
crystal lamps at Rp 7 million per piece and Italian granite lamps
at Rp 6 million per item are on display on the second floor.

For those of you who enjoy traditional lighting, then there is
Istana Design in Kemang Timur, Jakarta. The showroom provides a
wide collection of locally made lamps, such as richly decorated
pendant fixtures suitable for terraces, wooden desk or table
lamps and wooden standing lamps.

It will cost you around Rp 175,000 for a small wooden desk
lamp and around Rp 1 million for a richly decorated reproduction
of antique lamp from Java.