This Online Store Is Going to Be Your New Favorite Lighting Source

Sometimes the most obvious place to shop for items is the best one—you just have to know it’s there. Case in point: Lights.com, an online lighting store founded by husband-wife duo Sheva and David Knopfler. Can you get more spot on than that domain name? Their story is similar to other startups in the home space. Graduate to the real world and you suddenly realize everything you need—sofa, mattress, etc.—is so expensive, and you don’t want a crappy futon and cheesy Medusa floor lamp in your apartment anymore. Well, if you’ve ever shopped for cool affordable sconces, pendants, or chandeliers, then you know the struggle is real. Your style might be more Circa Lighting but your budget more Costco; and while Kirkland Signature nails it in a lot of categories, last time I checked lamps wasn’t one of them.

What’s great about Lights.com is that like other direct-to-consumer brands that eliminate the middlemen—manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer—in the supply chain, those savings get passed on to us, the customers. So what you’ll find is pretty stylish fixtures at a reasonable prices. The Knopflers work out of their Brooklyn-based office with a small support team, with Sheva heading up design while Davis focuses more on the business side of things.

Now I’m not saying every light they offer is a completely original design, but if you can’t afford that Sputnik-style chandelier from Arteriors you’ve always wanted, you can shop something similar here for about a tenth of the price. Yes, a tenth. And while they have lots of modern options, including those two-tone globe lights and clear glass pendants everybody is still feeling these days, they also make a point to stock more traditional and transitional styles as well, with everything available in at least a few different finishes.

I was particularly impressed with some of their simple wall sconces and vanity lights because I feel like chic, substantial options at big box price points are lacking. The site is truly a one-stop shop—you can get a bunch of different bulbs for all your fixtures here, too, from regular LEDs to Edison-style LEDs, all in several sizes and shapes.

I’m more of a real candle person myself, but I have to admit, if I were going to go all grandma with a flameless situation, it’d be their Surreal Flame Candle. It reminds me of something Dwell Studio would have made back when they put brass animals and starburst objects on the map. Ah, the early 2010s.

If you want string lights and outdoor solar lighting, they’ve got some offerings in these departments too.

Basically, all I’m saying is that if you’re looking for a light of some sort, give their online store a peep. You just might be surprised by what’s in stock and how great of a deal it is.