Earlier this spring I shared some of my favorite local gardening shops and the other day it hit me while I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of one of my all time favorite stores and one I've frequented for both my own home as well as NLI clients, that I wanted to feature them on the blog. Finding quality vendors, especially those with teams who remember you by name every time you walk in, are sadly few and far between these days. I'm happy to say M&M Lighting, my favorite Houston lighting source, is definitely one of the consistently top notch vendors I work with, on a regular basis. And since any one of you can walk in and look at their vast and beautiful collection here in Houston and purchase, I wanted to shine a spotlight today and tell you why I love working with them! #supportlocalbusinesses
It may not surprise you when I tell you that it takes me a few minutes to get out of the car when I roll up in the parking lot. Every. Single. Time. If you ever see me sitting in my car out front or taking photos like above, just know that I'm staring at all the eye candy in their windows, running a mental list of projects through my head to see if anything speaks to me for a specific client. I may also do a little perimeter walk outside before I make my way in. #allegedly
Reasons Why M&M Lighting is My Favorite Houston Lighting Source
The Showroom is Constantly Changing
First of all the showroom is huge! They carry light fixtures and ceiling fans, both interior and exterior, plus home accents like mirrors. More often than not, they will have the light fixtures I'm considering on display to see and use in person. Yes, use. Most if not all of the lights on display are wired! Turning the lights on during your visit is critical because you won't notice weird shadow casts until you do that, so if you can see a light fixture in person on display, I highly recommend it.
Besides certain HPMKT trade vendors, M&M has more wired lights of any showroom I've ever been in. Scroll through below to get a little glimpse of what you can find in store at M&M...
The Tags Have All of the Info You Need
Designers are notorious for taking photos of product in every showroom. Look at their tags below on the showroom floor. Everything you want to know is right there and you don't have to search for anything. As I always say, it's all in the details, and at M&M, they do it right.
Properly detailed tags, with big, bold writing, and special notes in red that may affect something else you have to add to your project list - genius.
An Easy-to-Navigate Website
What I love the most about their website is that when you pull up a light fixture and you realize it's not the right scale or measurement for your needs, or it's currently out of stock, there's a button in the left hand corner that says 'view similar' and it will immediately show you things that are still stylistically similar! That saves so much time and really cuts through the chaff when you're on a deadline!
You can also pin to Pinterest directly from their site, which is always appreciated. Plus you can download spec sheets for each lighting piece, and also create wish lists so you know you've saved your favorites somewhere ;)
I also love that each piece tells you in the right hand corner of the website the exact number that are in stock, and if it's not, when the next shipment is expected to arrive. Again, details and transparency will always win with me, as will a gorgeous curated selection to choose from!
Light Bulbs Concierge
I'm half-way joking when I say the phrase "light bulbs concierge" but until you buy multiple light fixtures for an entire house, you cannot quite comprehend just how invaluable this part of their customer service is. Make sure if you order fixtures from M&M, tell them you'd like the appropriate light bulbs added to your order as well. They will go through your whole order and pair the requisite bulbs with the corresponding fixtures. Trust me you will kick yourself if you skip this part. My fantastic rep actually labels the boxes which we then triple check so the install is SEAMLESS! Praise hands...that's all I have to say.
Designer Tip: Make sure you discuss your specific light preferences with your sales rep if you have any. For instance, I personally prefer 3000k over 2700k in my own home, but you do you.
Deliveries
In case you're wondering what happens after you place an order, everything is sent to their warehouse. You'll then get a call or email to let you know your items are in. You can either pick up on your own from will-call or you can set up a delivery time and day. We've done it multiple ways - they'll either bring it to our studio for say lamps or mirrors, to our receiver, or for larger whole home installations, they'll hold everything in storage until everything arrives then deliver it all to the actual job site. It just depends and we do it differently for different projects depending on scope, but bottom line, it's fantastic.
I shared my stance on sharing sources a while back and for me it still rings true. I'm open to sharing information wholeheartedly with a couple of clear caveats. You can read that post here. Remember, this isn't a trade only vendor. M&M is open to the public so you are free to come in and browse, and purchase items directly on your own. I recommend them to friends, neighbors, DIY clients, literally everyone. I'm pretty confident that you'll find something you love. If you're planning to stop in, send me a DM on Instagram and I'll guide you to my go-to's.
