Light House: Dutton Brown Design Will Light Up Your Life

It’s the first thing that’s needed to appreciate any décor, so obvious that it’s often overlooked.  The eggheaded refer to it as “electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye.”  The rest of us simply call it “light.”  But light doesn’t just let us appreciate decorative décor…sometimes light is decorative décor.  

If you yearn to experience one of those sometimes, you have friends in the light décor business, friends who long ago decided to pool their redoubtable talents.  Founded by Zachary Dutton and Thomas Brown, their company is, according to its website, “an LGBTQ+-owned made-to-order high-end décor manufacturer that specializes in the design and assembly of color lighting and hardware.”

That company’s name, you won’t be surprised to learn, is Dutton Brown Design.

“My name’s first because I’m the prettiest,” Zach Dutton asserts credibly.

“His name is first,” Thomas Brown refutes just-as-credibly,” because Brown Dutton sounds like something you’d do to a drunk friend.”

That sense of irreverent familiarity serves as the company’s North Star…perhaps because the union of Dutton and Brown (or Brown and Dutton) became a life partnership before it became a business partnership.  

“We met on a website in 2005 called Connexion,” Dutton remembers.  “So like, before cell phones had cameras…but we worked corporate jobs for five years and started this company in 2013.”

Working with one’s domestic helpmate might, in other instances and with other people, be too much of a good thing, but such is not the case with this photocentric pairing.  Reports Brown: “We spend a lot of time together which may not work for some, but it helps that we’re best friends and share a vision to create a color-coordinated home décor company.”

The members of this dynamic duo have even assigned themselves complementary roles in business and in life.  “I’m the fierce one because of the energy I bring,” Dutton diagnoses.  “I am admittedly stubborn about never settling and am unafraid of taking risks involving things I understand.  I was once asked if I ever thought our business would do this well, and I said, ‘Yes, absolutely. That’s sort of the point.’  That’s not to say we aren’t humble.  We just know what we bring to the table.”

The table receives something much different from Thomas Brown.  “’Nerd derp’ is the quickest way to describe me as one who is visibly ebullient about learning new things, especially as it relates to e-commerce, AI, or [financial technology],” Brown says.  “I worked as an engineer for five years, and I’m always looking for ways to apply what I learn to our business. Our method is that Zach helps drive forward all of the systems I create.”

With two such complementary forces at the company’s helm, it’s easy to overlook a frequent third collaborator:  sometimes prospective customers can become customizers in their own right. “People come in at all levels of understanding, but at our price point, we tend to attract people that know the importance of lighting to their project,” Dutton notes.  “People that treat lighting as an afterthought can usually find what they need in a home improvement store.” 

Which leaves only the customers who take illumination seriously.  “We schedule appointments to show people products,” Brown explains.  “If they decide to purchase, our team builds their order in-house in one-to-four weeks. We are also honest if our products aren’t a good fit. We don’t want to sell people on things they don’t need.”

This collaboration can be a rarefied one. “Our goal is to elevate our products to earn the value-focused customer, not the price-focused one,” Brown outlines. “We understand not seeing something in person can be a challenge, so we provide free samples, drawings, and a top-notch support team.”

Every collaboration has its limits, naturally. “We learned to say no to things that won’t be profitable for us,” Dutton says. “’Custom’ reads as ‘low margin’ and often leads to problems. We often reiterate our products are not ‘custom’ but rather ‘customizable.’”

The distinction between the two notions is profound.  “That means we provide a variety of products with sizes and finishes designed for multiple situations,” Brown deduces.  “But the world is full of ‘imagineers’ who ask ‘why not this’ or ‘can’t you that’.  It’s not hard to have an idea; it’s manufacturing something quality profitably that’s the challenge.”

That’s not the only challenge that commonly faces Dutton Brown Design.  Just as light can be overlooked, so, too, can its providers.  “We often hear we don’t do a good job showing what we do…or that we aren’t on social enough,” Dutton acknowledges. “We’re just more focused on adding capabilities that can grow our brand.”

Adds Brown: “Just because someone isn’t visible on social doesn’t mean they aren’t doing big things. It just means they’re too busy to care if someone else knows about it.”

That too-busy-ness has paid off where business is concerned, connecting the company to clients and collaborators all over the world.  Observes the nerd derp digitally, “With over 20,000 customers in all fifty states, we’ve grown our trade program to include 3,500 designers and architects, and they are eager for something new.”

When it began its existence a decade-or-so ago, Dutton Brown was easy to overlook…but as with the light it artistically presents, the company is unlikely to be overlooked again. As declared on its website, “We started with one light fixture design in 2013…and here we are.”  

https://www.duttonbrown.com/