Beautifully crafted furniture that speaks of warmth and longevity
Images by Icon by Design
A profession is rarely passed down through family these days. It’s a rare but beautiful occurrence when it does. A family business offers the opportunity for knowledge to be passed on, a close-knit family bond, and a secure profession for future generations.
It’s particularly beautiful when the process happens organically, or when family members come together as a result of weaving through other paths. This is what happened with the Light family, which has been in the furniture making business for five generations. For father-son duo David and Adam Light of Icon By Design, there is no doubt that furniture design is in their blood. David’s father had a furniture factory and his grandfather and great-grandfather were furniture craftsmen. David’s son Adam and daughter Nicola are now the fifth generation to carry the furniture flame.
Thanks to David and Adam’s backgrounds in engineering, commerce and finance, they were able to come up with a clever business model. “We are able to offer sustainably sourced, solid timber furniture at prices usually associated with MDF and veneer,” David explains. The Lights offer a two-price model: their furniture can either be purchased and shipped immediately or, if customers are happy to wait a little longer, they can select the pre-order service, which gives them a 20 per cent discount.
The Lights specialise in what has come to be known as a distinctly Australian aesthetic: clean, minimalist, elegant and sustainable. They create mostly solid timber furniture made from either American oak or American walnut, sourced from FSC-certified forests in North America. And they place a high importance on the sustainability and lifespan of the furniture they craft. “We reject the disposable society,” says David. Instead, Icon By Design embraces timeless design and a built-to-last ethos. “We draw on the past to project designs for the future. And I love beautifully crafted pieces, where you can see the hand of the craftsman,” he adds.
While not a furniture designer himself, David has a passion for the craft which is very obvious. “I love seeing people interact with our furniture,” he enthuses. “Solid timber has a wonderful warmth to it and you can see that connection when people touch and try our pieces. Seeing our products in people’s homes — being used and enjoyed — is a wonderful feeling.”
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