How to Order a Custom Light Fixture from a Photo or Sketch
7 min reading time
One reference photo is enough to start. The route runs reference → quote → technical drawing → 3D model → prototype → production → delivery and installation, with simple configurations from 7 days, LED components warrantied up to 5 years, and 2700-4000 K on DALI, TRIAC or DMX dimming.
In short: you saw a fixture in a hotel, on Pinterest or in someone else’s project, and it is unavailable, discontinued or priced out of the budget. It can be built. Send a photo or a sketch — we assess the structure, quote it, draw it, model it in 3D, prototype where needed, manufacture it and install it. Simple configurations run from 7 days; complex chandeliers and hospitality series follow the project programme. Light engine 2700–4000 K with DALI, TRIAC or DMX dimming; LED components warrantied up to 5 years. A quote from your photo costs nothing.
When a fixture gets built from a reference
Making to a reference is standard practice on premium projects: designers get an exact hit on the concept, private clients get a piece nobody else owns. We manufacture in our own facility, so the process is not outsourced guesswork — it is our own drawing office, our own metal, glass and stone shops, our own QC.
The four situations we see most
The original is unavailable in the region, discontinued, or simply not worth its price
The piece exists, but you need a different size, metal finish or glass
There is an original sketch or a visual from the designer
A matching series is needed for a restaurant, villa or hotel, on one budget
One thing to be clear about: we do not make counterfeits. We build a piece inspired by your reference, with your dimensions and your materials — or we manufacture a designer’s own drawing outright.
What to send for a quote
A single photo is enough to start. The more you add, the tighter the first number.
A reference photo or image — a screenshot is fine
Target dimensions: diameter, height, drop length
Preferences on materials and metal finish
A photo or render of the room it is going into
For projects: the brief, the fixture schedule, quantities
Ceiling height and drop length are worth stating explicitly — they change the design more often than the diameter does.
The process, photo to installation
The whole route takes anywhere from a few weeks, with a checkpoint at every stage. Non-standard configurations of simple models go out from 7 days; complex chandeliers and series follow the project schedule.
Step 1. Reference, quote and technical drawing
You send the photo; we assess the structure, materials and light engine, propose execution options at different price points, and quote. Once the direction is agreed, our engineers produce a technical drawing: exact dimensions, mounting nodes, light source type and colour temperature, dimming protocol. The drawing is signed off before anything is cut — no surprises on the shop floor.
Structure and material assessment from the photograph
Execution options matched to your budget
Technical drawing with dimensions and mounting details
Light engineering: LED modules, 2700–4000 K, dimming via DALI / TRIAC / DMX
From the drawing we build a 3D model — you see the finished fixture from every angle before production, and you can drop it straight into your interior visualisation. For complex or series pieces we produce a prototype or a sample node: we check the glow, the exact shade of the material, and how it assembles. Corrections happen here, on a model, not on a delivered crate.
3D model for approval and for renders
Prototype or sample node on complex pieces
Verification of light output and material tone
All corrections made before the series is released
Step 3. Production, delivery and installation
Manufacturing runs in our own workshops with quality control at each stage: metal, glass, stone, assembly, light engineering. We work in brass, copper, aluminium, steel, glass, timber, natural stone and alabaster. Finished pieces are tested, packed in rigid export crating and delivered with installation arranged — including difficult drops into double-height voids and over staircases. LED components carry a warranty of up to 5 years.
There is a partner programme for designers and project practices: preferential terms, drawing support and work to your own brief.
Specifying for the tropics
If the piece is going into a villa or resort in Phuket or anywhere coastal, say so at the reference stage — it changes the material and hardware selection, not the design.
Salt air near the beach eats plated finishes; solid brass, 316 stainless and marine-anodised aluminium are the durable answers
Humidity demands sealed drivers and gasketed entries on anything semi-outdoor — IP44 covered, IP65 exposed
Terraces, salas and pergolas are outdoor locations even with a roof over them
Live-load and wind on open terraces affect the fixing detail for large pieces
Lead time, cost and what clients get wrong
What drives price and schedule
Materials — stone and solid brass cost more; metal-and-glass is the accessible route
Complexity of form and the number of light points
Quantity — a hotel series lowers the unit price substantially
Lead time — simple models from 7 days; complex pieces to the project programme
A precise quote from your photo is free
Made to a reference, a piece often lands well below the price of the original — particularly as a series — because it is manufactured directly, with no distribution mark-ups in between.
Five mistakes to avoid
Not stating dimensions — the fixture in the photo may be entirely wrong for your room’s scale
Forgetting ceiling height and required drop length
Not specifying colour temperature — 2700 K and 4000 K produce very different rooms
Skipping the sample on a large series to save a small sum
Leaving no time in the programme for drawing approval
FAQ
Can a fixture really be made from a single photo? Yes. A photo or image is enough for us to assess the structure and give a preliminary quote. Exact dimensions, materials and light engineering are agreed at drawing and 3D stage.
Is this a copy of a branded fixture? No, we do not produce counterfeits. We create a piece inspired by the reference, with your dimensions, materials and finishes — or manufacture a fully original design from a designer’s sketch.
How much does a custom fixture cost? It depends on materials, complexity and quantity. Made to a reference it is frequently more economical than the original, especially as a series, because we manufacture directly. Quoting from your photo is free.
What are the lead times? Non-standard configurations of simple models from 7 days. Complex chandeliers, cascades and hotel series follow the project programme, with dates fixed after the drawing is approved.
Can I change the size and materials versus the photo? Yes — that is the point of making to order. Diameter, height, metal finish, glass or stone type and colour temperature are all adapted to your interior, with 3D sign-off before release.
Is there a warranty? Yes — up to 5 years on LED components. Structure and materials pass quality control at every production stage.
Send a photo — we will quote it free
RODESIGNE designs & manufactures custom lighting for villas, hotels and restaurants — Phuket & worldwide. Send a photo, a sketch or a render: we will assess the build, propose execution options and price it, then manufacture it in the size and material you need, with 3D approval, delivery and installation.
