We’ll let the internet debate over “big lights” versus lamps. Here at Food52, we appreciate all kinds of illuminated objects, and thanks to our sister company, Schoolhouse, we have a new collection of handcrafted ones to choose from: Meet Benchmade, a line of lighting that’s all designed, finished, and assembled in Schoolhouse’s Portland, Oregon, factory.
At its core, Benchmade is a celebration of Schoolhouse’s roots, which are in—where else?—Portland. Two decades ago, Schoolhouse made its first vintage-inspired light from a century-old factory building in an industrial area of the city. Since then, the brand has grown to include furniture and textiles, nearly all of it drawn and developed by our in-house design team. With Benchmade, much of the end-to-end production happens in Portland. After each fixture is drawn by our team, many of the brass, glass, and wood parts are produced domestically (with oak, the best-quality can be found in America). For some of the other parts we source, such as cased glass shades, there's better quality overseas. Once we have parts made to our specs, the rest of the work happens back in Portland.
“Working so closely with the people who are going to make the final product is extremely rare these days, but it’s an asset to our design process,” said Katie Elliott, Schoolhouse Vice President of Design. “We can get instant feedback, down to a specific screw, which makes the final design—the one that lights up your home—all the more special.” In one case, the proximity between those designing and those assembling created an entire new light: The design team was so taken with Ray’s bulbous shade that they turned it upside down. From there, the Teig lamp was born.
Benchmade is made up of six lighting families, including some of Schoolhouse’s greatest hits—including both Ray and Teig—and the beauty of them all being classics means they look good in any space they inhabit, whether your style leans barnhouse bohemian or playfully modern. Find your favorite, straight from Portland, here.
Which Benchmade piece would you love to see light up your space? Let us know in the comments!
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