Somebody finally put proper trim on a lampshade. Pooky x Samuel & Sons went live on Tuesday, November 3, pairing the London lighting brand known for its mix and match shades with Samuel & Sons, the New York family business that does nothing but passementerie, the old French craft of decorative trims, tassels and braids. The collection debuted to the trade at High Point Market before going on sale today.
What is in the collection
The star is the Taos pendant, in a smaller and a larger size. It uses Pooky's woven zig-zag ikat fabric, edged with embroidered borders and finished with little tassels, and comes in three colourways: tangerine with periwinkle, crimson with greyish black, and a softer coral with orange. Pooky says the whole project started with an early mockup of the Taos hanging over a bar.
Next is Margaux, the most formal piece. These are extreme empire shades in finely pleated silk with a handwoven Crête trim and a gathered gold lining, offered in 12, 16 and 24 inch sizes in coral, currant and emerald. The same look comes as a ceiling flush mount in two quieter silks, white and sand.
The everyday pieces are the Cretian scalloped shades: linen with a matching waved trim around the scalloped edge, in flame red, smog, marshmallow, blue sky and natural. They come as empire shades from 7 to 16 inches, small clip on shades, pendant shades, and versions sized for Pooky's cordless lamps, so they slot onto bases people already own.
Two specialists, one idea
Samuel & Sons was founded by Samuel Cohen and is now a third generation family company with an archive of more than 10,000 trims. President Michael Cohen says their team was already putting Pooky lamps in its showrooms and dressing them with trim for displays, so the partnership was a short step. Pooky's Chief Creative Officer Jo Plant set the brief: everyone does fringe on a lampshade, so take it further and treat the trims like miniature works of art.
The campaign leans into that. Plant pictured the pieces in cocktail bars and members' clubs in London, Paris and New York, and stylist Miranda Sinclair painted watercolour sketches of each room before the shoot, which plays out as a very posh house party with a few morning after scenes thrown in. You can browse every shade and pendant on the collection page.
Why it matters
This one is Surfacing. Maximalism has been creeping back into interiors for a while, and lighting is the easiest place to try it without repainting a room. Swapping a plain shade for a scalloped, trimmed one on a base you already have is a small change that reads as a big one. For a cleaner counterpoint, see Marset's Fragile family, and if you are shopping for a forever lamp, start with our guide to the best design lamps.
