Bright ideas (PROFILE Waikato 2024)

Mr Ralph Lighting founder Rachel Williamson shares her top tips on how to light up your life.

Rachel Williamson (pictured) is the founder of Mr Ralph Lighting, the Hamilton-based company that provides lighting to residential and commercial projects across the country

Moving from the UK in 1991 to the rolling hills of Waikato was life changing for Rachel Williamson and her family. They had already fallen in love with New Zealand having spent time here travelling and picking fruit in the South Island. They settled in Cambridge and navigated careers in health, hospitality, travel and customer service. It wasn’t until 2013, however, that Rachel’s true calling was found with the launch of Mr Ralph Lighting. The journey began serendipitously while renovating an 1890s’ workman’s cottage in Cambridge.

“Choices were pretty limited back then,” says Rachel. “I couldn’t afford what I loved and didn’t love what I could afford.”

Rattan designs and organic shapes are popular right now.

At the same time, Rachel picked up on the resurgence of stylish pendant and wall lighting in international magazines, marking a shift away from the dominance of downlights. With a modest budget, Mr Ralph Lighting – named after their beloved Jack Russell dog Ralphie – was launched as an online business from their home. From here a showroom was opened in Cambridge in 2014, eventually consolidating operations into a flagship studio in Gordonton and a warehouse in Paeroa.

Today there is a team of eight women, spread across Paeroa, Gordonton and New Plymouth, and clients are nationwide thanks, in part, to the offer of free shipping. Products are sourced around the globe with original designs made in China and Bali, while additional items come from Sweden, southern Spain, Greece and the UK.

The business also champions local talent, stocking lighting from Mat McMillan of Maker Design Studio, David Trubridge, PLN Group’s Nectar and Hush, and Lime & Co. The business also extends beyond residential lighting, with a thriving trade and commercial branch managed by a specialist. Numerous exciting projects, says Rachel, include the stunning FlockHill Lodge near Lake Pearson in the South Island and various cafes and bars, such as Fergus Bar in Hamilton which features clever layering of light.

“Generally, people do not change their lighting often, so we always have a core range of classic and enduring styles. I love, however, watching what is happening internationally,” explains Rachel. “Right now there is a resurgence of rattan designs with robust structural shapes and the use of colour. We are always looking for the next thing to inspire and engage people. It’s very exciting as we are in a phase of transformation, elevating our fittings and colours into 2025. “Personally, I favour mid-century styles and natural, organic shapes and materials. Lighting should enhance a space with warmth and atmosphere rather than dominate it.”

mrralph.co.nz

Neon lights work to bring personality to a room.

RACHEL’S TOP LIGHTING TIPS:

Layering light helps make your home feel warm and inviting. Always mix ambient with task lighting.

Scale is a challenge as many New Zealand homes have a standard 2.4 stud height which can make installing pendant lighting difficult. To add interest, hang lower lights over a dining table or island bench, shallower pendants can be used in living and bedroom spaces and ceiling-mounted options are also beautiful. Large open entranceways and stairwells and living spaces can be enhanced by clustering pendant lights or using oversized items.

Continuity Remember, pieces don’t need to match exactly but they must reference each other. Too many decorative pieces in one space can look cluttered and busy.

Varying lengths of pendant lights is a clever way to add interest to a space.

ON MY RADAR...

When it comes to architecture I admire the Kaufmann House by Richard Neutra in Palm Springs, California (1947), along with the Arts and Crafts Movement especially the Red House in Bexleyheath, home of William Morris, and all the glorious Arts and Crafts homes in New Zealand.

The George Nelson bubble pendant is a light I wish I had designed. It was groundbreaking at the time and is still so relevant today.

Michelle Obama is someone I really gravitate to. “When they go low, we go high” inspires and encourages us to be the best of ourselves.

My mantra? Lighting is the jewellery of your home.

Super Soul with Oprah is the podcast I am listening to at the moment. Her guests are groundbreaking spiritual and emotional experts and I find it very grounding.

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig. I recently read this book about Martin Luther King. Given the current climate, it is an incredible reminder of where we have been and the courage it took to challenge.

A monstera plant was the last thing I bought for my home. I am obsessed with plants!

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