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.