Gerald Olesker, founder of bespoke lighting manufacturer ADG Lighting, has long been a secret source for the design industry, but now it’s his time to shine. Having crafted one-off pieces for some 2,000 projects worldwide, the commissions just keep coming. Luxe asked Olesker to reveal the company’s secret to success. adglighting.com
What’s the core ingredient to ADG’s success? Our passion. Lighting is a functional detail that’s part of the architecture, so we address projects not by what we want to do, but by what the house is asking for.
Tell us about your creative process. We have a dialogue with our clients. We pull out pens and have dueling sketch pads. “Is this what you’re thinking? Or this?” In that moment, we’re speaking the same language. Or sometimes I’ll be driving between jobs, see something, and pull over and start scribbling. I keep a sketchbook in the armrest!
Why does handmade matter? Where’s the romance if you just order out of a catalog? If you want something unique, let artisans engage with architects and designers to create it. We have the skills and the desire. A commissioned piece doesn’t necessarily take a lot of money, but it takes the right person to want it. No one does what we do the way that we do it.
