Ro Sham Beaux‘s striking lighting designs are in your favorite hotel lobbies, retail shops, and design-savvy friends’ homes the world over. Principle designer and founder Ann Yancy calls lighting the “jewelry of the home,” and her luxe handmade fixtures and chandeliers are just the pieces to add to the jewel box that is your home.
We caught up with Ann right before a busy High Point Market to hear the latest on Ro Sham Beaux, plus her best lighting tips!
Enlightening the Public: Ro Sham Beaux’s Beginnings
Ann grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and studied sculpture, metal smithing, and jewelry-making at the Portland School of Art — a varied skillset that shines through in her 2010-established brand. “Having been a lighting designer for years, working exclusively with architects and designers on custom projects, I wanted to share some of those designs with the public,” Ann says. “That was the beginning of Ro.”
Ann has lived in Manhattan, Venice Beach, New Orleans, Paris, and Italy, to name a few places. These cities have urged her to blend timeless elegance (think antique brass) with modern elements (think colored recycled glass beads). The Ro Sham Beaux style is a culmination of exploration and places traveled; the lighting reflects everything from the allure of natural landscapes to the buzz of vibrant city streets.
Lighting is getting personal …
Interior design, in general, is seeing a shift away from colorless, expressionless aesthetics and toward more daring color and print-mixing. Ann urges her customers to explore what lighting can do for their space. “Many people not in the design world think they have to stick with what’s in front of them. They don’t know how easy it is to customize something to make it uniquely theirs,” she remarks.
In addition to the refreshing designs you won’t see anywhere else, Ro Sham Beaux takes “bespoke” to the next level. Their team helps customers fully personalize lighting for their style and application — be it through size, color, shape, or creating a through-line theme with multiple elements.
Behind the label, a team of skilled artisans design and build each fixture with unparalleled attention to detail. Transforming earth-derived materials into functional art is their thing. They take it seriously, so your design process can be fun.
Ann’s 3 Favorite Lighting Tips
Ann has found her audience consistently stunned by the fact that lighting is one of the — if not THE — most crucial parts of a design process. “It can 100% make or break a room,” she says. With that said, here are some best practices.
“I am a fan of oversized chandeliers and pendants. Go big or go home!” Ann says. Secondly, she urges homeowners and designers not to be afraid of color.
Her last (and our favorite) tip is, “EVERYTHING on a dimmer!” Dimmable lighting is worth the effort and money, as you can create ambiance for any space, occasion, and time. No more aggressively turning off blinding overhead lights. Dim ’em!
How to Shop Ro Sham Beaux
When it comes to shopping the Ro Sham Beaux line, there are a few ways to go about it. To see, feel, and visualize the pieces in person, it’s best to go to the North Carolina showroom. “The High Point showroom is our crowning jewel,” Ann says. “It is one of the nicest showrooms in the city, and we always get rave reviews.”
If you’re down to dig for treasures, visit Ro Sham Beaux’s outlet in Charleston. “The current Charleston outlet is an absolute disaster but still fun to shop for treasures,” Ann adds. “We are moving Downtown to a new building we have been renovating, so look to shop there by September 2024!”
Ann has also noticed, even in her personal style, many people being magnetized to Ro Sham Beaux’s original pieces. “We have been reintroducing them this year with great success,” Anna says. If High Point and Charleston are far from you, locate a local dealer to discuss options or shop online at ro-sham-beaux.com.
Thanks, Ann, for chatting with us before a busy market week!
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