“In a world full of darkness, be the light”

Melissa Bandtock is the founder of lighting specialist lumière which offers a bespoke illumination service for both retail and trade customers. Having launched her business in lockdown she certainly knows how to stay agile, resilient and ultimately creative in business. Eileen Leahy discovers more about Melissa’s passion for what she does and why she wants to light up the world one light at a time…

In just four years talented entrepreneur Melissa Bandtock has seen her lighting business lumière eclipse the competition and really start to shine. This is no mean feat given that she launched it just before the very first Covid lockdown happened. But she and her lumière team have worked extremely hard in order to weather the post-pandemic storm, to not only survive but also thrive.

And although her much-loved lumière boutique on Tunbridge Wells High Street closed last year, this is far from being a negative for the business. In fact, this has allowed Melissa and her colleagues – Carla and Stef – the freedom to grow exponentially, establishing an impressive array of both private and commercial clients across the country and beyond. But more on all of that later because if you are reading this and haven’t heard of lumière then allow Melissa to shine a light on the backstory…

“I have loved playing with lighting for as long as I can remember,” she tells me when we meet for a late summer coffee at the new Club Quantum on The Pantiles where she has supplied all the statement lighting for the incredible new venue.

“I have always had an awareness of how heavily an environment impacts my mood. As a teenager, I was constantly redecorating my bedroom and helping friends make the most of theirs. This passion for interiors led to my first property purchase in South London in my early twenties. I was in my final year at university, working two jobs and going through a hefty application for a job at the Foreign and Commonwealth office and yet there I was up until the early hours of the morning painting sash windows…and smiling as I did it!”

Several house renovations followed and in 2008 Melissa moved to Tunbridge Wells. 

“I love the old part of the town with everything from kitchen showrooms to gardening boutiques but there was a clear gap in the market for a high-end decorative lighting consultancy business. And so, on 14 February 2020 I signed the lease to my new adventure; lumière, my very own lighting consultancy hub, offering a bespoke service catering for the lighting needs of both retail and trade customers.”

So far, so illuminating but what Melissa – along with the rest of us – couldn’t ever have predicted was the devastating Covid crisis which gripped the world just a month or so later, resulting in a complete shutdown of  businesses everywhere.

Surely the odds should have been stacked against her launching a new venture during this challenging time but thankfully they weren’t. So how did Melissa have that lightbulb moment in order make things work?

“Well I had a newly refurbished showroom, 200 designer lights sitting in boxes, and a cancelled agreement from the contractors who were meant to spend two weeks installing them ahead of the grand opening,” she explains.

“In light of being forced to cease trading face-to-face, many business owners accepted their fate and stayed home, but I had a new business to drive. If this meant installing all the lights myself that is what I would do! In an interview, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift explained that creatives needed something to cling to in 2020, she described her lockdown albums as her ‘floatation device’, helping her navigate the waves of change which unexpectedly descended on us all in 2020. lumière became exactly that for me…”

Melissa adds that the moment she stepped into her new premises and closed the door behind her, she decided to create her own ‘little magical world’.

“I started sharing posts via social media. Unboxing lights, showcasing them through little stories I made up about them and illustrating them via ‘Friday Frolic’ posts on Instagram and Facebook. This slightly bonkers creativity built up a lovely supportive following and led to some incredible connections.”

That ‘slightly bonkers creativity’ included Ferraris, flares and flamingos all being used as props in order to help Melissa thoroughly make an impact. 

“I always say, in a world full of darkness, be the light,” she smiles.

Once she was allowed to open her doors, Melissa says it felt like the whole town was there to welcome and support lumière.

“I guess that was after having followed my journey like a soap opera on those long lockdown days of 2020. Our social media posts lifted moods and we literally used lighting to ensure our spirits were bright and allowed us to shine through this dark period.”

However, like any clever business person Melissa admits there was another more strategic reason involved in all these online capers.

“I quickly realised that people were stuck at home, keen to improve their homes so I came up with ways I could still reach potential clients without the ability of visiting them in person or being able to allow them into the gallery. And so, I started offering virtual consultations via Zoom and video calls. For instance, this led to an interior designer in Austria tasking me with working on a hotel project with her. Once the lumière gallery was fully dressed, I had a virtual tour created so clients could ‘look around’ and define their style – all from the comfort of their own home.”

By doing this Melissa says it really helped build up a loyal customer base: “Providing excellent product knowledge was a huge aspect of lumière’s bricks-and-mortar phase. We absorbed every detail through strong communication and built solid relationships with both residential and trade customers. Many of these customers remain repeat customers to this day.”

Alongside running the lumière boutique Melissa also had the foresight to establish and finesse the e-commerce side of the business thus ensuring that her captive audience wasn’t just a local one.

“At first the website was a way for clients to view products at home after a consultation and to digest the information we had provided in-store.  As our reach on social media grew, expanding beyond the store with an e-commerce site to reach this wider customer base seemed a very natural progression.”

While this side of the business was starting to take off, Melissa says that she suddenly had to make a ‘very quick decision’ about the future of her High Street store. 

“It was very unexpected but we were forced to make a very quick decision and so decided to listen to the demands and needs of the business – and its owner! Encouraging lumière to flourish and grow without the restrictions of a physical gallery has turned out to be the right decision for my business.”

The ability to trade without the without the constraints of a physical retail premises has meant that Melissa, Carla and Stef have been free to expand their horizons and secure a number of incredible clients from many corners of the world.

They include commissions from local interior designers SGS for their projects at Charlotte’s in The Pantiles and The Beacon, as well as for 80s pop icons Shirlie and Martin Kemp and Instagram influencer extraordinaire Greg Penn AKA Man with A Hammer. The latter, who has a colossal online following, was how team lumière gained the project from Shirlie Kemp for her Maison Number 9 venture.

“Word of mouth has been our strongest ally,” reveals Melissa. “We use our social media platforms to showcase some of our projects and direct potential clients to our online portfolio. Other times, the lumière magic happens, and we just seem to connect with some amazing opportunities. We recently supplied lighting for the newly refurbished Lansdowne Members Club in Mayfair, which is project managed by the world-renowned Rosendale Design.”

But it’s not just recommendations and referrals that Melissa and her team cite as being key to growing the business.

“I’d also say hard work, dedication, vision and sometimes more passion than sense have also contributed,” she smiles.

Talking of impressive clients, Melissa tells me that another Tunbridge Wells High Street retailer – the high-end kitchen showroom – Tom Howley has engaged the specialist services of lumière. So how did that come about?

“We started working with the Tom Howley showroom in Tunbridge Wells on mutual customer projects. As a result, I was introduced to the founder, Mr Tom Howley himself. Our work ethic, drive and attention to detail aligned with his, and from that point onwards, Tom asked me to work on every new showroom he acquired – as well as the refurbishment of older showrooms. We currently have our lighting in twelve Tom Howley showrooms across the UK. But there’s more to come so watch this space,” teases Melissa.

By casting the net wider lumière has garnered the attention of other high-profile clients, one of whom is the prestigious interiors bible Elle Deco.

The image that caught their eye was one of Melissa ethereally swimming underwater which was shot at the studio used by singer Ellie Goulding for her most recent album cover and has also been used for many films including Harry Potter. 

Melissa explains the story behind the shot: “One of my favourite photos is one in the Saatchi gallery depicting an intriguing woman in a wedding dress moments after she has jumped into a mystical underwater living room. I have always wanted to attempt an underwater shoot. The new direction the business was taking seemed like the perfect opportunity to create the story of a mermaid freely dancing in the sea among the lights. Elle Deco loved the image, taken by my long-term collaborator John Knight, when we pitched it to them.”

But it’s sourcing stunning lighting for a variety of unique projects that really is Melissa’s raison d’etre. 

As previously mentioned, one amazing project she and her team have worked on is doing the lights for the refurbishment of the Man With A Hammer’s former naval Georgian period home Admirals House.

And although Melissa won’t tell me how the pair came to work together – ‘you’ll have to read his new book to find that out’ she teases – the relationship has been a phenomenally successful one, helping lumière reach a wider audience. 

“Our international exposure is part of the reason people like Greg find us. We work very hard behind the scenes with each client to achieve the optimum lighting goals and Greg’s honest review of our work brought some of his celebrity following our way – namely the lovely Shirlie and Martin Kemp.”

As we sip on our delicious coffee at Club Quantum I ask Melissa about how she chooses the brands she works with and her answer is simple: “I only supply lights with a standard I would be happy to use in my own home.”

She goes on to say that firm favourites include Ralph Lauren, Kelly Wearstler, Kate Spade New York but that she is always on the lookout for UK-based companies too. 

“I’m a fan of Amy Frankie Smith’s beautiful pieces that she creates in her studio on the beach in Shoreham. We also source bespoke pieces from the UK as and when required. Some may remember the old Foreign Office lantern I acquired by chance which I decided to refurbish in the hope of finding it a special home – which it did!”

And on that note, Melissa says that one of the most special aspects of running lumière is the customer feedback she regularly receives.

“Product quality and the customer journey are paramount, strong relationships and returning clients are so heartfelt and I am full of gratitude for this. We have a testimonials page on our website and one of my favourite comments is from a client called Wendy. She wrote: ‘It remains true that each and every time I look at each and every one of the lights that Melissa suggested for us it sparks happiness.’ 

“This makes my heart sing, and I could not ask for more.  Also on our testimonials page, is a quote from our lovely photographer John (who is also a client) who says: ‘She makes everyone feel important because to Melissa they are.’ This is one of the biggest compliments, I think.”

It’s not just having an instinctive draw to lighting and putting that with people adds Melissa. It’s also down to the hard work she and her team put into the research too. Most of that comes courtesy of the trade shows Melissa attends. So which ones would be a highlight for her?

“I’d say High Point Trade show in North Carolina. There I have met some of the world’s leading lighting creators such as Seth Troy, Kelly Wearstler’s head of lighting, Thomas O’Brien, whose designs can be seen in James Bond films, Sean Lavin, winner of the Design et al award and many more. 

“Being armed with these invaluable insights means my team and I have the trade secrets about which trends and pieces will be hitting the UK market. It also means we can source and handpick the perfect selection for any given project both residential and trade.”

And if Melissa could take on one dream commission for any client – alive or dead – who would that be and why?

“Our late Queen,” she immediately confirms. “My first career was working at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for Queen and Country and my love never faded for that strong, inspirational woman who navigated decades of political change and destruction. The thought of creating a bedroom lighting scheme to help her fall asleep at the end of each busy day and then inspire her each morning as she opened her eyes would have been an incredible lifetime achievement.”

Before Melissa heads off to another client meeting I ask her what her plans for lumière are as we head into 2025…

“Lighting more of the world one little light at a time of course! We have loved working on hotels, members-only clubs, football clubs…I hope to continue to spread our wings within that commercial sector. It is very rewarding to see our lights enjoyed in public spaces.  In addition, when this magazine hits the newsstands, our website should be ready to accept Klarna payments therefore allowing every home to shine bright over the winter months.”

CONTACT:

www.lumieredujour.co.uk

@lumiere_du_jour_uk