Jennifer Kalman and Emily Wilson of Man and Son Design didn’t expect to bring their passion project to life so soon. Huddled together in their brightly lit woodworking studio, the architect and designer duo explain how they struggled to find the right lighting for their clients when they first launched their design studio in 2020. Most options were too expensive and were made from non-renewable materials, and they were rarely ethically or locally sourced. “One day we just said, ‘Okay, well, if we can’t find it, why don’t we make it?’ And that’s when we decided to start A Light Studio,” Wilson recalls.

Together, Kalman and Wilson design, prototype and manufacture wooden light fixtures in-house—all while continuing to run Man and Son. They source their materials as locally as possible, whether it’s metal from the manufacturer across from their workshop in Victoria, blown glass from Vancouver or repurposed fallen arbutus wood. This process grounds them in the community and offers both the designers and their clients the same creative control the pair once sought themselves.

Their custom, slow design process helps them be just as thoughtful about creating the final product as they are when they source their material. “Any sort of craft is inherently a long and slow process. It’s about a connection between the maker and the object. That takes a lot of patience and care,” Wilson says.

Their ethical practice includes being mindful in reducing wood waste. “What could give this piece of trash a new life as something that can be treasured?” Wilson says. Wood that’s too cracked or not big enough gets repurposed into their off-cuts collection of candleholders, wall hooks and dishes. 

A Light Studio is not just rethinking how lighting can be made, but also what effect it can have on a room. “What does the lighting in a bathroom look like? Over the vanity?” Kalman reflects, emphasizing just how much variety and beauty there is in crafting smaller projects. Then, she jokes: “Let’s get rid of the boob light”—those builder-basic domed lights on many a ceiling—“and try to do something a little more interesting.”

Inspiration can come from anywhere, like nature or other products. “Sometimes I’ll see a bowl and I’m like, I really like the shape of this bowl. And then we flip it upside down and I’m like, that’d be a cool light,” Kalman laughs. But, ultimately, it comes down to proportions of scale and, if possible, finding that designer-client synergy that will help them craft something everyone will love.

“Homes should feel homey,” Kalman says. In contrast to stark minimalism and all-white features, this lighting exudes its own natural warmth. “It really can make a space feel much more human.”

Making Wood Work
“The wood really tells us what shape it wants to be,” Wilson says, grabbing this flat wooden creation—the start of what would become the Loon pendant ($625)—from the tall wooden display shelf behind them. “There was this incredible grain on it,” Wilson adds. Thus, a simple shape was born that lets the beauty of the material speak for itself (without sacrificing reasonable pricing for a made-to-order product).

Photo by A Light Studio