I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Lintner, Industrial Design Manager and Michael Miller-Riley, Senior Product Manager-Lighting, both from Hunter Fan Company. Look out decorative lighting industry, Hunter isn’t just ceiling fans any more. Hunter Lighting is growing and making moves.
Shiller: Hunter recently released seven lighting collections and one ceiling fan collection as part of its Jasmine Roth + Hunter partnership. Jasmine Roth is an HGTV host and interior designer. Were these new designer collections shown at Lightovation in Dallas? If so, what was the response like from attendees/buyers?
Lintner: Yes, Jasmine’s collections were shown at Lightovation! Attendees and buyers were especially excited about the Jasmine Roth Collection. Jasmine’s design expertise has played an integral part in the creation of this collection. In particular, the Fair Oaks Collection and the Brookhollow Collection garnered the most attention. Attendees commented on the Brookhollow being a piece that was different with its natural rattan material and how the design makes light casts. The Fair Oaks Collection also received praise for its sharp geometric lines mixed with greenhouse design.
Shiller: Can you please provide a web link to more information about the Jasmine Roth + Hunter partnership?
Miller-Riley: You can find a press release here and the product pages here.
Shiller: Hunter launched its lighting line a couple of years back. How has the lighting SKU count grown over that time?
Lintner: In the four years since our initial lighting launch in January 2020, Hunter has rapidly expanded our product line and has now surpassed over 1,000 individual active lighting SKUs for sale. Last January, Lightovation showcased our largest single launch when we added 600+ new items; we expanded from about 400 SKUs to nearly 1,000. This January, we have added items from our Jasmine Roth + Hunter partnership and look forward to presenting these pieces wherever we can!
Shiller: Can you summarize the styles that Hunter Lighting is focusing on (transitional, traditional, other)?
Lintner: As an organization with over 135 years of history, Hunter Fan Company has always offered a wide variety of design styles to our customers. We feel it is equally important to offer the same expansive range of options within our lighting product line. Since the lighting market tends to be more trend-forward we love to explore new and emerging trends. We are especially excited to explore trends such as Japandi, Organic Modern, and even the evolving trends of Traditional.
Shiller: How would you describe Hunter’s approach to integrating lighting with the core ceiling fan offering?
Miller- Riley: We are not only bringing the same quality with our fans, but we are introducing matching and coordinating ceiling fan and lighting collections. Our ultimate goal is to improve and simplify customers’ lives. Having such a strong footing in the ceiling fan space, we were excited to branch out into lighting as something customers have requested while maintaining a high quality of product, affordability, and range of style options.
Shiller: What were Hunter’s lighting goals for last week’s January Lightovation, specifically?
Lintner: Hunter Lighting’s focus for last week’s Lightovation was our Jasmine Roth + Hunter partnership. Lightovation is the place where our customers get a chance to see all of our newest offerings in person – where they are so much more impactful! We wanted to really showcase Jasmine’s integral part that she played in the collection. With that said, we also brought a new 450+ page full-line print catalog that is literally “hot off the press.” This features our entire active product line.
Shiller: How many style families were displayed in the Hunter showroom, last week?
Miller-Riley: We had about 50 families displayed in the showroom.
Shiller: Roughly what fraction of the Hunter showroom was lighting versus ceiling fans?
Lintner: Last January, we opened a greatly expanded showroom in a new location, allowing us to showcase our newest fans and lighting collections together. We try to show all of our latest products and innovations because Dallas Lightovation is such a great place for our customers to see, touch and feel our products. Currently, Lighting takes up approximately 2/3 of our showroom space.
Shiller: Were there any surprises from the January Lightovation?
Lintner: We knew attendees would love the pieces from the Jasmine Roth Collection. It was a nice surprise that the Fair Oaks and Brookhollow got their much-deserved praise, as well as the rest of Jasmine’s collection. We are so happy that everyone is just as excited as we are for the entire collection, and we can’t wait to continue creating new pieces that are just as impactful and beautiful.
Shiller: Is Hunter able to share anything about lighting growth plans?
Miller-Riley: We have incredible plans to continue innovating in the fan and lighting space and have some exciting new product launches planned for next year. Specifically, we look forward to sharing more details about some new collections within the Jasmine line, later this year. Also, we look forward to expanding our Casablanca collections, a popular line of fans with lights, this spring. We plan to release two new outdoor models for purchase in early summer 2024!
Shiller: Thank you both for sharing Hunter’s impressive lighting growth with LightNOW readers.
All Images: Hunter Fan Company. TV Host & Designer Jasmine Roth Collection, Hunter showroom at Lightovation, last week.
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