Behind the Design: Varaluz’s Ron Henderson

Style Editor Julie A. Palm chats with Ron Henderson, founder and president of Varaluz, about enjoying “happy stress” creativity — and why he keeps 400,000 photos on his phone.

By Julie A. Palm

Varaluz founder and creative force Ron Henderson knows what it’s like to have a creative dry spell, but it doesn’t happen often.

“It’s akin to writer’s block,” he says. “There are times when the ideas are flying fast and furious, and then there are other times you hit a dry spell — but I don’t tend to have too many of those. Even if life is super challenging, like it has been the last year and a half or two … it was kind of like giving my creativity a dose of steroids. I don’t know why, but when I have the least amount of time to capture an idea that’s generally when they’re popping into your head like crazy.”

The challenging time Henderson refers to includes Varaluz filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2024 and Salt Lake City-based residential, commercial, and religious lighting manufacturer Ciana Lighting acquiring Varaluz in spring 2025.

Henderson describes his stress since the Ciana purchase as “happy stress.” He notes that the cash infusion from Ciana allowed Varaluz to introduce more than 300 items at Lightovation in January and has provided additional marketing, accounting and other infrastructure for the luxury lighting producer. The latter has freed Henderson to focus on design, including design trips to Varaluz’s manufacturing facility in the Philippines and elsewhere.

“When the acquisition was complete April 30 of last year, they said to me, ‘Go, go design.’ So, I did a quick three-week trip, and I came back and they were like, ‘No, go do more. We don’t need you to worry about the other stuff.’ So, I went back for another three weeks and extended that three weeks, came home for a few weeks and went back for another three weeks.”

The acquisition has also freed Henderson to move away from Varaluz’s warehouse in Las Vegas and he’s now settled in Dallas to be closer to Lightovation and family.

We wanted to talk to Henderson about those changes at Varaluz but also about his design process, how that has evolved and what’s coming next from the company.

A ‘unique design voice’

“When I started this madness called Varaluz 20 years ago, I thought I had – and still think I do have – a slightly unique design voice,” he said, adding that he thought most lighting in the marketplace at the time was boring. “… That’s probably mean [to say] in retrospect, but there’s a lot of sameness out there and that is not a word that’s ever described my life.”

While Henderson leads design at Varaluz, he says the creative process is collaborative.

“We’ve always been something of a collaboration house and in the last six or seven years, I’ve really embraced that I don’t know what I don’t know and that has served me well,” he says. “I call my process ‘play.’ I take different ideas, kind of throw them together and see where it leads. … It’s really kind of being fearless. … I just play with things until I think I have something that I find attractive or interesting and then I run it by people.” Those creative sounding boards include the production team in the Philippines, as well as celebrity designer Tamara Day.

“We met at the beginning of her starting to do product design and sort of hit it off,” Henderson says. “She has pushed me to work with new materials that are much more challenging, but also much more interesting and certainly more appropriate for what the market is looking for today.” Varaluz will showcase new mirror designs created with Day at the High Point Market April 25-29.

Henderson is also inspired by collaborations with other designers. Varaluz has launched its Petal Reign collection in partnership with Lewisville, Texas-based interior designer Kristi Hopper, which will be showcased in High Point. And the company has another product launch planned with New York-based interior and product designer David Santiago.

400,000 photos

Before cellphones became the powerful handheld computers they are now, Henderson relied more on making quick sketches and tearing out magazine clippings to capture design ideas.

Today, his primary tools are his iPad Pro and iCloud, which stores more than 400,000 images shot on his iPhone.

“I might be slightly vain and have more selfies than I should admit to, but those 400,000 photos aren’t mostly food photos or even family photos,” he says. “They are ideas, textures — the way a fabric is woven, a unique striping. It can be literally anything that catches my eye.”

Henderson is increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to speed up and improve his design process, often bouncing between several tools for a single project. Current favorites include ChatGPT, Midjourney, PixMagic and Nano Banana. “So, in a matter of an hour or two, I have something that’s pretty close to fully realized that I then give to the CAD team,” he says. “I have CADs overnight and then in a day or two, we’re onto sampling, making the prototype.”

Undergirding all of Henderson’s designs is love of light — and shadow.

“I used to joke that I designed for shadow more than light, and that is still somewhat true,” he says.

“I worry about the shadow lines that a light fixture is going to make, not trying to eliminate them, like many of our peers probably do. … I want to give you something that is artistic day and night, that looks good hanging on the ceiling or the wall during the day, but really comes alive when you turn it on,” he continues. “Our new marketing team came up with a new tagline: ‘Light that moves.’ And that’s always been my thing. I don’t like something that feels static, so it needs to be able to change and evolve.”

A recent piece Henderson enjoyed creating is Downpour, a stylized interpretation of rain, “which is something I’ve been playing with for a number of years but never was satisfied with what I’d done,” he says.

The initial piece, produced with Asfour Crystal, is a nearly 10-foot-tall, 12-light dimmable pendant in a Satin Gold finish with angled strands of leaded crystal that descend in a rhythmic pattern. Henderson has additional Downpour styles and configurations in the works.

“Asfour has a process where they adhere pieces of simple, faceted crystal to make a chevron. It’s not glue … and it’s just seamless so it doesn’t impact the refraction,” Henderson says. “It’s stunning and amazing.”

Asfour is also able to incorporate metal hues into the crystals. “It’s actually in the crystal so you still get the refraction, but you get a warm golden glow that I have just never, ever experienced before,” Henderson adds.

As his photo collection indicates, Henderson draws inspiration from nearly everywhere. A Construct pendant, based on a pair of lacy metal earrings, has Brutalist and MidCentury Modern notes. A Panelist pendant and sconce with Art Deco notes, echo the silhouette of a carousel.

But when asked, “What is your favorite recent design?” Henderson says, “Well, my favorites are the ones you haven’t seen….I know what I’m playing with and that’s what I’m excited about now.”