In 2023, designer Lori Smyth launched Tulip, a lighting brand to act as a “solution to unattractive, unattractive and unflattering ceiling light fixtures.” Sprouting from an age-old question: “Why must overhead lighting be so harsh?”, Smyth designed an accessory that fits easily over overhead lighting. Now, one year later, the brand is ready for their next steps – announcing the first-ever collaboration with renowned artist, designer and creative director Xavier Donnelly. The exclusive capsule collection features four imaginative shades showcasing Donnelly’s captivating illustrations and masterful integration of physical space, brand and art.
The dominant print in the collection – “Caledonia” – features a lush garden scene inspired by Donnelly’s childhood spent at his grandmother’s farm in Vermont, translated into the Gem Caledonia, Drum Caledonia and Lamp Caledonia shades. In contrast, the collection’s signature piece – “Gem Xavier – pairs the vibrant floral motif with a restrained architectural scene, creating a striking balance between nature and structure.
“The collection is inspired by the expansive gardens that my grandmother cultivated at her farm in Caledonia, the far northeast region in Vermont. They were exuberant and mazelike, full of secrets and ever-expanding — bordering on uncontrolled but in the most beautiful way imaginable,” Donnelly explains. “Grassy paths wound past mossy statuary and orderly vegetable beds, which gave way to dense thickets of raspberry, which eventually dissolved into fields of wildflowers. As a child, the gardens always felt endless, and it was truly a paradisiacal playground. A stark contrast is the architectural print – “Xavier” – classically restrained and almost minimalist, which acts as a foil to the unbound garden.”
The Xavier collection is available starting today – click here to see the collaboration in its entirety.
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