Why High-End Interior Designers Are Sourcing Lighting from China

Okay, so here's something interesting: interior designers are quietly changing where they buy lighting.

For decades, if you wanted high-end fixtures, you went to Italy. Or France. Maybe New York. China was for mass market stuff—the cheap basics, the knockoffs.

That's not true anymore.

The Shift

I talked to a designer in LA who works on million-dollar homes. She told me: "Five years ago, I wouldn't have considered Chinese lighting for my clients. Now? I'm actively looking."

What changed?

Quality. The factories making lighting in China now are world-class. We're not talking about sweatshops. We're talking about facilities with better equipment than most European manufacturers.

Design. Chinese designers are doing their own thing now—not copying Western styles. And that original work is getting noticed.

Value. Here's the part designers love: they can get something unique, beautifully made, for less than they'd pay for a comparable piece from Europe. That means they can put that budget somewhere else—or just keep the client happy.

What Designers Are Looking For

Unique materials. Marble that glows. Bamboo woven in ways you've never seen. Hand-blown glass with colors you can't find anywhere else.

Scale. Chinese lighting often thinks big. A single massive pendant. A cluster of forms. Pieces that make a statement.

Craft. Designers can tell when something was made by hand. They look for the small variations, the evidence of human touch. Chinese lighting has that in spades.

The "Made in China" Conversation

Here's something designers have to deal with: client perceptions.

Some clients still hear "Made in China" and think "cheap." Designers have to educate them. Show them the pieces. Let them touch the materials. Explain that the world changed while they weren't paying attention.

Most clients come around when they see the work. It's hard to look at a hand-carved marble pendant and think "mass market."

What This Means for You

If high-end designers are sourcing from China, that's a signal. It means the work is good enough for demanding clients. It means you don't have to compromise.

You can get something beautiful, well-made, unique—without paying a "designer tax" for a European label.

A Few Things Designers Love Right Now

Carved stone pendants. Every designer I talked to mentioned these. They're the new "it" piece.

Oversized bamboo weaves. For spaces that need texture and scale.

Hand-blown glass clusters. Especially in colors that feel fresh—deep greens, smoky blues, warm ambers.

Paper forms in unexpected shapes. Not globes. Sculptures.

The Bottom Line

The stigma around Chinese lighting is fading. And honestly? Good riddance. There's incredible work coming out of China right now, made by people who've been perfecting their craft for generations.

Designers are smart to pay attention.

And so are you.