{"id":4020,"date":"2026-08-03T19:47:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T19:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=4020"},"modified":"2026-08-03T19:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T19:49:15","slug":"behind-the-design-pookys-jo-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=4020","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Design: Pooky\u2019s Jo Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The chief creative director for the award-winning British brand talks about how Pooky\u2019s colorful, whimsical vibe is influencing lighting design in the U.S. and what this year\u2019s acquisition by Visual Comfort & Co. might mean for the creative process.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Julie A. Palm<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Pooky Lighting is well-established in the United Kingdom, Jo Plant thinks of the lighting brand as a \u201ctoddler\u201d in the U.S. market: a colorful, uninhibited, whimsical toddler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re young. We\u2019re fun. We\u2019re kind of disruptors,\u201d says Plant, the company\u2019s chief creative director. \u201cWe have that sort of irreverent edge to Pooky. We\u2019re all about choosing your own style and creating your own look. \u2026 But we\u2019re also very serious about what we do. I hope that in the market, we will be known for our core principles \u2013 which have never really changed \u2013 which is to make the best quality lighting we can for the best possible price and to give the customer a product they want to keep and use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pooky, which was founded in Glocester, England, in 2014 and entered the U.S. market two years ago, is best known for its lamps and mix-and-match shades, including a growing line of cordless rechargeables. But it also offers a wide range of ceiling and wall fixtures, as well as outdoor lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant says Pooky wants consumers to think about lighting in a more \u201clighthearted way,\u201d but not in a trendy, fast-fashion way. \u201cThe last thing we want to be is any kind of throwaway brand,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, Visual Comfort & Co., purchased Pooky<\/a>. Lighting News Now<\/em> talked with Plant about how Pooky fosters its creative spirit and what the acquisition means for the company\u2019s design direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human-centered design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant joined Pooky more than 10 years ago and was promoted to her current position in January 2025. She says she loves the job \u2014 enough to spend three hours driving back and forth from her home in Oxford to Pooky\u2019s headquarters in Gloucester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The company\u2019s Stucco lamp is named for the ceramic leaves \u201cstuck\u201d on the base. \u201cWe agonized for a long time in the design process over the size of the leaves, their spacing, and their number…and the exact tonal color,\u201d the company says. It\u2019s also available in Turquoise and Emerald.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cSo, it\u2019s a long, long journey, but it\u2019s so worth it because when we\u2019re all in the office together, it\u2019s really good and collaborative,\u201d Plant says. \u201cWe\u2019re in a big open-plan office and everyone shares ideas. \u2026 I love working with the team here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Pooky, Plant oversees the creative process; leads the design team and mentors younger designers; supports marketing efforts; and helps to manage manufacturing and the supply chain. (\u201cWe started as a small company,\u201d she says, \u201cand there\u2019s still lots of crossover between creative director and operations.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many strands to the job, and it\u2019s crazy some days but I’m very grateful to be doing it,\u201d Plant says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emblem of Pooky\u2019s creative process is a corkboard wall in company\u2019s design office, which is filled not just with product ideas but with production dates, whether for major collection launches or magazine deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many ideas and we\u2019re really lucky because we\u2019re quite creative and Pooky is not constrained too much,\u201d Plant says. \u201cWe want to sell lighting to everybody \u2014 we can do something that\u2019s very minimal or some that is completely the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company was recognized for its design work earlier this year, when it won an ARTS Award<\/a> in the Lamps category, which included better-known brands such as Arteriors, Couture Lamps and Home Furnishings, and Quoizel as finalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she\u2019s sitting down to design, Plant says she\u2019s \u201ca pencil and paper girl,\u201d who finds flying to be an especially fertile time for creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pooky continues to expand its line of rechargeable lamps and sconces. The Katherine cordless table lamp was modeled after a classic office paperweight and stays lit for up to 15 hours.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m old school, she says. \u201cI have a little notebook \u2026 I make loads of little sketches \u2014 shapes, the beginning of an idea. I\u2019ll think, \u2018Oh, maybe that\u2019s good.\u2019 Then sometimes I look back and think, \u2018Oh, my god! What were you thinking?\u2019\u201d The good ideas get translated to pads of graph paper and shown to others on the team, including the team\u2019s CAD expert \u201cwho understands my madness,\u201d Plant says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m not a trained designer, but I\u2019ve worked with product for many, many years in different forms and shapes,\u201d she says. \u201cI know what I like and I know what I think looks right. I have a really good feel for scale because I used to do garden design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant has a fondness for Pooky\u2019s classic Wobster table lamp, a hand-turned solid wood base shaped into what the company describes as a \u201cgloriously bulbous silhouette,\u201d but she keeps a rotating assortment of three lamps on her office desk \u2014 two wired lamps and a cordless lamp. \u201cI think my favorites change all the time,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many creative directors, Plant spends much of her time in meetings and dealing with management aspects of her job, but with the recent hiring of designer Sophie Amini, \u201cwe\u2019re going to take two of those days in the middle of the week, and we\u2019re going to lock ourselves away and design \u2014 away from the team, away from all the distractions,\u201d Plant says. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s really a luxury to get that time to sit down and formulate what we\u2019re doing, where we\u2019re going and how we\u2019re going to do it. With product, it\u2019s really important to get that creative time. \u2026 We\u2019re a product-led business, so it\u2019s important to keep new ideas coming and to be creating all of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pooky has embraced artificial intelligence tools for data-driven projects, but Plant has been reluctant to introduce AI into the design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel really strongly that people connect with Pooky\u2019s products because there\u2019s something very handmade about them,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re humans designing for humans.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designer collaborations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company collaborates with a wide range of designers and designer brands, including Matthew Williamson<\/a>, Morris & Co.<\/a>, GP & J Baker<\/a>, Collaborative Craft Projects<\/a>, Studio Killian-Dawson<\/a> and The Novogratz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the High Point Market in April, Pooky showcased its latest collection with longtime collaborator, Ellen Merchant, a British artist and textile designer. Merchant described the handmade lampshades \u2013 which are based on Merchant\u2019s fabric and wallpaper patterns \u2013  as reimagining \u201cthe traditional spring floral by pairing playful botanical silhouettes with an English countryside palette.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Agnes wall sconce is part of a collaboration with Cortney and Robert Novogratz of The Novogratz.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the upcoming Hight Point Market in October, Pooky will debut a line designed in partnership with Samuel & Sons<\/a>, a New York-based producer of fabric trims and tassels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a wonderful company, and we\u2019ve got a fun collaboration coming up with them,\u201d Plant says. \u201c\u2026 We\u2019ve come up with a range of products that will be fixtures, as well as shades, and we\u2019re really excited about that. It\u2019s going to be great and we\u2019re really looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pooky times its largest U.S. launches for the fall and another significant launch for the spring, but changes in how consumers shop for lighting has increased the frequency of its product introductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCustomers really respond well to newness, so we\u2019ve kind of split the launches over the year,\u201d Plant says. \u201cWe try to add new products for customers to engage with at different places, at different points, so we\u2019ll have things that launch every month, actually. We may not shout about them, but there\u2019s always something new.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New ownership<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the newest things at Pooky is its ownership. When officially announcing the acquisition, Visual Comfort founder and CEO Andy Singer and Pooky founder Rohan Blacker said jointly, \u201cwe have long admired and respected one another\u2019s brands, creative perspectives and contributions to the world of lighting. This partnership brings together two complementary points of view, while allowing Pooky to continue operating independently with the same creative spirit, character and distinctive approach that have made the brand so special. Together, we look forward to introducing Pooky to a broader audience through the reach of the Visual Comfort platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning this summer, Pooky products are being showcased in Visual Comfort\u2019s direct showrooms and also will be part of Visual Comfort\u2019s trade network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the announcement, the companies also said, \u201cat this time, no operational changes are planned for customers, partners or business operations. Both companies will continue operating business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the reasons that they bought Pooky is because we’re so different and we can work together very well without cannibalizing each other\u2019s businesses,\u201d Plant says. \u201cWe\u2019re a different price point, but we\u2019re also just a very different company. Pooky is all color and choice, and Visual Company is very minimal and chic. \u2026 I think we\u2019ll definitely learn something for sure from each other. \u2026 It\u2019s always good when you design and talk to other people who design and care about product \u2014 you\u2019re always going to learn something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant says the teams of the two companies are in the getting-to-know-you stage and she\u2019s hopeful about the new ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to adapting to new ownership, Pooky continues to adapt, too, to the U.S. market, including understanding the design preferences of various regions of the country. And although Pooky has only been in the U.S. market for a couple of years, Plant says she believes the company has helped usher in a design direction that includes more patterned lampshades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exciting because I feel like we have definitely been part of that trend that is growing in the States,\u201d she says. \u201cI think the whole mix-and-match look and the whole very individual kind of look is going to grow and grow. \u2026 I think showing your personality in your home is important. \u2026 People are getting braver in their homes and I love that. That makes me very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jo Plant (left) has been part of Pooky\u2019s design team for more than a decade. At right, the new Spriglee shade is part of a Pooky collection with British artist and textile designer Ellen Merchant.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the Design: Regina Andrew Detroit<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the Design: Arteriors\u2019 Gregory G. Heller<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The chief creative director for the award-winning British brand talks about how Pooky\u2019s colorful, whimsical vibe is influencing lighting design in the U.S. and what this year\u2019s acquisition by Visual Comfort & Co. might mean for the creative process. By Julie A. Palm Although Pooky Lighting is well-established in the United Kingdom, Jo Plant thinks…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,391,10],"tags":[1211,1210,1013,598],"class_list":["post-4020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","category-people","tag-design","tag-jo-plant","tag-pooky","tag-visual-comfort"],"yoast_head":"\nBehind the Design: Pooky\u2019s Jo Plant - Lighting News Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The chief creative director for Pooky Lighting says the company\u2019s colorful, whimsical vibe is influencing lighting design in the U.S.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=4020\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind the Design: Pooky\u2019s Jo Plant - Lighting News Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The chief creative director for Pooky Lighting says the company\u2019s colorful, whimsical vibe is influencing lighting design in the U.S.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=4020\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lighting News Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-03T19:47:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-03T19:49:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Julie-Pooky_1580.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1580\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Longo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Julie A. 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