Third-generation family business, Chelsom, has been designing, manufacturing and supplying lighting to the global hospitality and marine industries for almost 70 years. Following the recent launch of its innovative Edition 25 collection, we explore just what makes the brand stand out …
Edition 25 is the result of more than two years of pain-staking in-house design led by joint managing directors Robert Chelsom and his son, Will. Designed with the international hospitality marketplace in mind, this eclectic collection embraces the very latest material and technological trends, with the refinement and polish the brand is renowned for.
“Triggered by the fashion cycle, interior trends are moving increasingly faster and in doing so constantly stimulate new design directions when it comes to finishes and materials, which is something we have given careful consideration to when creating our latest designs,” says Robert.
The fact that Robert and Will insist upon every facet of the design process taking place in-house – from the intitial design conception, to sketches, shop drawings, 3D renderings, prototypes, and shortlisting – is perhaps a crucial factor in Chelsom’s success.
The creativity and craftsmanship the pair possess is evidenced, if by nothing else, by Chelsom’s involvement in scores of prestigious hospitality projects worldwide, from The Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair to the Rosewood Abu Dhabi.
“If there was one recent project that really does feel iconic, it would have to be Mondrian at Sea Containers in London, Mondrian’s first hotel outside of the USA,” says Robert of Chelsom’s burgeoning portfolio.
“Working in collaboration with Tom Dixon we created an entirely bespoke lighting scheme for the guestrooms and suites, along with statement lighting pieces for public area spaces. Not only did the lighting need to really look the part, there were also extremely exacting demands to be met in terms of light output and functionality too.”
With custom lighting requirements gradually becoming the norm for projects such as this one, brands known for their creativity are in high demand. Chelsom certainly prides itself on meeting even the most challenging of briefs, creating designs that will play an integral role in an interior scheme, rather than merely serve a purpose.
“We try to give interior designers exciting and unique product which allows them to make lighting the centrepiece of a design scheme, rather than a last minute addition,” says Robert. “Even something as established as a glass table lamp design can be challenged with new shapes, the addition of metal or even adding bubbles into the glass.”
With over 60 years’ experience in hospitality lighting, Chelsom’s proven expertise, and its determination to innovate and adapt paint a bright picture for the future.
