We are very excited to introduce to you this week’s manufacturer spotlight shining on ADG Lighting. ADG Lighting is a custom design and manufacturing firm located in California. They specialize in designing unique pieces for every client whether for commercial or residential use. Dive into this interview to learn more of the behind-the-scenes from CEO and Principal Designer, Gerald Olesker!
Let’s start out by learning a bit more about your company. What makes ADG Lighting unique?
From celebrity homes such as Kourtney Kardashian and Molly Sims to some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, our work plays a role in the high-end luxury real estate and hospitality industry that feeds the California economy.Through our discerning eye, we have a way of enhancing the environment, whether it be making the interior design of a room seem celestial, or placing the perfect light in the exact place to make guests more beautiful — all while making that gorgeous painting at the corner wall pop.Our team of 18 artisan craftsmen custom design and manufacture lighting pieces at our factories in Chatsworth and El Monte, California with the benefit of handcrafted, Made in America, custom design.ADG Lighting can design, fabricate and manufacture lighting fixtures, architectural ornamentation, and metal work in all styles, including traditional, modern, and transitional. ADG Lighting is also a designer and manufacturer of energy efficient, induction and LED eco lighting. We meet Title 24, and can provide photometric reports for custom lighting.
What is a favorite piece in your collection that designers might not know about?
My favorite piece, whether it is a lighting fixture, sculpture, or piece of furniture, is the next one that comes from my fountain pen and onto the sketch page. Truly, the excitement is when another design professional wants to have something that is different than their competitors. I don’t understand why today’s designers just pick items from the internet. Let’s go back to the time when inspiration form was collaboration.I enjoy bringing something fresh to the table. Designers that want to be the best come to us. Designers that know we can modify from our existing fixtures and furnishings come to us. So, the next best item is what does not exist … and only exists in my mind.
Who or what inspires you most when coming up with designs?
Inspiration is a combination of past experiences and understanding the masters like Louis Kahn, McKim Mead and White, Le Corbusier, as well as any current client that is willing to experience the meshing of these ideas. Understanding art and architecture and working together with a client that is willing and open brings some of the best designed fixtures, sculptures and furnishings forward. This does not mean that they are iconic and stand out — this means that they are so good, they become functional detail and part of the architectural experience.
What is the process behind coming up with new designs/products?
Listening to the client and asking questions. Simply put – when there is an opportunity to fine-tune the architectural experience, the process begins. While it may seem like BS to some, the ones that understand that my team and I have a developed process, the magic begins. Once I have an understanding of the architecture and its surroundings from curbside to poolside, it is about approach, anticipation, and arrival at the site, then about engagement within the site. While that sounds more like how an architect approaches a design solution, that is how I am trained. The experience of designing decorative lighting and other functional details for homes, hotels, museums, or other projects is the same baseline approach. Now with over two thousand projects that I have designed and fabricated for worldwide, experience counts. So I keep scratching my head and wondering why click, spec and buy has become the new plug and play experience for designers and architects. An engaged and practical approach is to design and use a company like ADG Lighting (Architectural Detail Group) to design and fabricate for each project a designer has. We make others look good. That’s our job, so the process relates back to collaboration.
What is your favorite part about the manufacturing industry?
I absolutely love seeing ideas come to life. This is a dirty business, and the beauty shots that everyone posts do not tell the story. Our team of artisans work hard behind the scenes to ensure that what we produce is the ultimate. Our project managers work diligently with the clients to make sure every step on the flowchart happens. We enjoy the entire process, from meeting new clients to working with rock star clients over the past 25 years.
