LightenUp Handmade
LightenUp Handmade is a bespoke lampshade and base business operating out of rural Australia on a farm near Rowena in north western NSW.
Offering a variety of ready to shop, custom made, and bespoke design experiences, LightenUp Handmade produces gorgeous, unique shades which add delight and texture, helping to elevate lighting and reflect joy in thousands of homes across Australia.
Supporting fellow creators and Australian designers is a strong value for founder Vanessa Radford. The artisan has also designed a small range of hand-turned timber lamp bases, produced by a craftsman in Melbourne.
With an eye for colour and design, LightenUp Handmade melds functionality with jubilance to make a statement in any home. An investment that will last a lifetime, LightenUp lamps are heirloom pieces that lift spirits as well as lighting corners – knowing it’s handmade with love in a back corner of regional Australia is the cherry on top.
“A lamp can completely transform the ambience of a room. By literally flicking a switch, a space can become warm and charming, or a little more playful,” Vanessa says. “It’s a wonderful feeling to make something out of nothing and to gift others joy.”
In 2019 LightenUp Handmade outgrew the dining table and a new HQ was in order. Vanessa’s husband - Mr LightenUp - Chris found a dilapidated shearer’s quarters on the neighbouring farm and with the help of their son Jack and a few mates, moved it to the Radford’s backyard with a new lease of life.
A few steps from Chris and Vanessa’s back door, the quarters are now awash with light, brimming with gloriously bright rolls of fabric and lamps. It’s here you’ll find Vanessa humming with productivity, a cuppa at her elbow, Louis the corgi at her feet – producing bespoke lampshades to help shine a light in homes across the country.
They say it takes a village, LightenUp Handmade is no exception. Vanessa’s sisters are an integral part of the team, Sue who helps with accounts from her home in Dorrigo, and Jenny is the master of all things operational, from her home in Canberra. Vanessa & Chris’s daughter Zoe is a very helpful hand with all things tech & social media, a true family affair.
