Detailed view of a custom chandelier consisting of hand-cut and polished glass set in a radial sundial pattern, encircling a flat glass panel and mounted on patinated brass metalwork.

Custom Lighting Commissions

Remains Lighting Co. is expert in realizing custom lighting designs in a broad range of detail, scale, and technical requirements on luxury residential, religious, institutional, and commercial projects worldwide. We collaborate with our clients to design novel concepts from scratch, modify versions of our existing collection pieces, and reproduce fixtures in the spirit of antiques.

We specialize in crafting custom light fixtures that will be enjoyed as heirloom pieces for generations to come.

Contact our Custom Lighting Division

Remains’ technical capacity is rooted in our experience restoring thousands of antiques and has grown to encompass the creation of bespoke lighting designs. We adapt the best practices of historical methods to harmonize with modern manufacturing processes.

A look over the shoulder of an engineer as he models custom lanterns on the computer.
A hand-drawn engineering sketch of a custom Moorish style lantern.
Custom cast bronze exterior fixture parts - fishscale pattern lantern tops, pine cone finials, fluted arms - have been prepared in fabrication and await a trip to the polishing and patina shops for their next transformation.

Engineering and Lighting Design

Our engineers fine-tune concepts for performance, simplicity, and beauty. In addition to hand sketching, we use the latest modeling and drafting software to generate drawings of our lighting designs for client approval. Our estimating team is consummate in determining the materials and fabrication methods best suited for our clients’ specifications.

A detail view from the top of a cast and machined aluminum lantern in a dark patina, with acrylic beads which will reveal the light emanating from between the vertical metal supports.
Polished acrylic rods arrayed in a circle and lit from within, part of some large scale custom exterior lighting fixtures made for an apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
A tall custom cast aluminum and acrylic rod exterior wall sconces light the entrance of an Upper East Side apartment building.
Custom cast aluminun, rope-detailed exterior lantern parts in a blackened patina sit on an assembly table at the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Materials and Methods

A pile of raw brass billets, cut and ready to be machined into custom parts at the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Metals

We form and shape metal using a variety of techniques, including lost wax and sand castings, laser-cut sheet, CNC and manual turnings, milled shapes from solid billet, forging, hand-hammering, and brazing.

A group of glass samples in colors including white, turquoise, amber, red, and yellow, and smooth, striated, ribbed, quilted, and mottled texture patterns.

Glass

In addition to our in-house cutting and cold working, we partner with artisanal glassmakers to create bespoke free-blown, mold-blown, slumped, and cast-glass shapes. Each piece of our handmade glass is one-of-a-kind and shows the hand of the maker.

Hammered brass "feathers" that make up the Tony Duquette Plume chandelier peek out of the patina bath in the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Plating and Patinas

Our in-house polishing and electroplating departments produce a nearly limitless range of finishes of uncompromising quality. All finish processes employ the strictest quality and environmental controls, utilizing advanced reverse-flow and closed-loop plating systems. 

A candlestick being hand hammered and peened in the finishing workshops at the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Surface Finishes

In addition to our signature plated and patinated finishes, we collaborate with our custom lighting clients to develop unique and beautiful hand-tooled finishes utilizing techniques such as French filing, peening, chasing, as well as painting, leafing, and powdercoating.

A group of pink hand blown glass parts are nestled in newspaper to protect them until they are uready to assemble into a custom ceiling chandelier.

Expert Sourcing

From leather to ceramic, plaster, wood, acrylic, and stone, the breadth of our experience incorporating rare materials into light fixtures is wide and practiced. We have a deep bench of domestic and international suppliers who provide us with components that meet our high standards of quality.

Rolls of UL and CE lighting certification stickers.

Electrical and Certification

We manufacture custom light fixtures to the utmost quality and safety standards, providing UL, ETL, and CE certifications for gas, incandescent, and LED applications. We make sure that each fixture is outfitted with site-appropriate lamping and electronics, including discrete remote drivers and control systems.

Custom Lighting Design Process

A small and dedicated team closely manages and monitors the manufacturing and quality control of every aspect of each project. Custom light fixtures are engineered, fabricated, finished, and assembled in our Brooklyn, New York factory. Our account and project management teams are experienced guides for our clients. They lead each project from initiation, approval drawings, and production, to delivery, installation, and beyond—ensuring that expectations are met and exceeded, regardless of project size or complexity. 

A custom LED sconce consisting of a ribbed cylindrical glass lens and machined brass fittings, being dry fit in the fabrication shop in the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.
A Remains Lighting engineering team member refers to original antique models while working on sketches for custom exterior pier lights.
Bent brass diamond-section chandelier arms are checked for accuracy against the drawings in the fabrication shop of the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.
Remains Lighting founder David Caillgeros conducts a design charette with clients in the offices of the Remains Lighting Co. factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Prototypes and Mock-Ups

When clients require prototypes or mock-ups beyond detailed engineering drawings and finish samples, we utilize various methods and materials to represent the custom lighting designs for inspection. These methods include 3D prints, hardboard cutouts, and even full-scale first articles.

Remains Lighting staff members finish the assembly of a custom elongated faceted brass and glass torpedo shaped entry lantern.

Delivery and Installation Support

We accommodate all delivery requirements for each bespoke lighting project and are available for installation supervision as required by site conditions. After installation, our team remains an ongoing resource should any project-specific needs arise.

Turnkey custom lighting solutions from concept sketch through production, originating in New York and delivering to the world.

A group of traditional bronze and opal glass exterior wall sconces shown lit along the limestone wall of a New York City residential building on Central Park South

Custom Projects

Browse our portfolio of custom lighting projects in a variety of styles and applications.

View Custom Galleries

Inquire with our Custom Lighting Division by completing the form below.