Tapping into an overseas manufacturing boom, Andy Singer started Visual Comfort in the mid 80s, but it wasn’t until he partnered with master lighting designer Sandy Chapman ten years later that the company took off—now it’s one of the industry’s most recognizable brands, producing well known collaborations with designers like Thomas O’Brien, Alexa Hampton, Kelly Wearstler and many more. His sister Gale worked with Andy in the early days, but in the 90s split off to form Circa as a separate showroom business, which has also grown explosively—she’s opened eight new locations in 2020 alone. In this episode of the podcast, the Singers discuss using data to make design decisions, the opportunities and challenges of selling trade products online, and why Visual Comfort wants to be the Frank Sinatra of lighting companies. This episode was sponsored by Rebecca Atwood Designs.

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