Honoring Tradition: Scofield Lighting Celebrates 50 Years with a Timeless New Collection
A half-century ago, master craftsman Richard D. Scofield founded the lighting company that bears his name. To celebrate his historic vision on this significant anniversary, Heritage Metalworks is introducing a new collection to the brand that’s renowned for the beauty and authenticity of its timeless design.
“Creating new lighting collections for the brands we own, Scofield and Heritage Traditions Lighting, is something we’ve wanted to start doing,” says Matt White, the owner and founder of Heritage Metalworks, a foundry, blacksmith shop, and metal fabricator that specializes in creating signature lighting, period-correct hardware, and architectural metalwork. “Scofield’s traditionally inspired reproductions, handmade only with premium materials and incomparable American craftsmanship, are the perfect fit for our first collection.”
Scofield, who spent years studying 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century lighting fixtures from museum collections, introduced his first collection, handcrafted from copper, tin, and wood for period and modern projects, in 1974, and in 2014, Heritage Metalworks acquired the brand and offered his designs to a new generation.
A traditional lantern is found in the foyer.
“Heritage Metalworks shares the same passion for high-quality design and a focus on traditional techniques as Scofield,” White says. “When we took over the Scofield brand, the patterns and designs were there; all that was needed was to clean things up a bit, produce, and distribute.”
The 13 new handcrafted Scofield Lighting designs, which took more than a year to create and produce, join the existing collection of more than 130 lighting fixtures with unlimited personalization options and are distributed exclusively by Remains Lighting. Prices are in line with those of the brand’s other fixtures, ranging from approximately $1,000 to $3,500 trade net.
Designed to appeal to a younger generation, the 13 new designs include hanging fixtures, lanterns, chandeliers, and pendants.
“The designs are made to not only be historically accurate and functional, but are also a little bit edgier to fit into today’s modern lifestyle,” White says. “They reflect the fact that rooms, notably the kitchen, which is now the hub and heart of the home, have evolved, and there were no Scofield designs to suit them.”
While the fixtures in the new collection are either inspirations from a Scofield fixture or a custom project from the Scofield archives, using traditional parts, shapes or styles that already exist, they are designed to meet the demand for more hanging fixtures, additional lanterns, chandeliers, and pendants for kitchens and kitchen islands.
The new designs feature asymmetric lines, mixed metals, and geometric shapes, and the exterior fixtures have finishes that either weather naturally or are lacquered to preserve the character.
“It’s more than just trying to make something look old,” White says. “It’s honoring traditional techniques and focusing on details without cutting corners.”
Scofield Artisans at Work
Courtesy Heritage Metalworks
Like Scofield, White has long had a passion for the simplistic style and elegance of period lighting, high-quality design, and traditional techniques. After serving apprenticeships with prominent metalwork design firms, where he acquired knowledge and appreciation of historic architecture, White opened Heritage Metalworks in 2001.
While Heritage Metalworks’ original shop focused exclusively on restoration work, over the course of 20 years it expanded to include reproduction projects, two signature lighting brands (Scofield and Heritage Traditions Lighting), period hardware (HMW Forge Hardware), and custom architectural metalwork.
The Pennsylvania-based company, which designs and fabricates fixtures for designers, architects, and general contractors, has partnerships with prestigious landmarks such as the U.S. Capitol Building, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Winterthur, and Fair Lane: Home of Clara and Henry Ford.
“I hope this new generation appreciates these new Scofield designs as much as we do,” White says. “They have unique, timeless character that truly stands out.” TB
