Canadian Lighting Brand Luminaire Authentik Brightens Up Toronto’s King East Design District

With the Canada-U.S. trade war escalating, Canadian pride for homegrown brands has never been stronger. When it comes to lighting, the Toronto design community doesn’t need to look far to support domestic industry. Earlier this month, Quebec-based manufacturer Luminaire Authentik opened a new flagship in the city’s King East Design District that quadruples the size of its previous local shop. (The brand also operates two additional showrooms, in Montreal and Cowansville, Quebec.) “We wanted to have a place where we can meet with Toronto architects and designers, and also somewhere that would really tell our story,” explains founder Maude Rondeau.

Street view of Luminaire Authentik's Toronto showroom with large windows, potted plants, hanging lights, and “LA” signage visible through the glass.

Those two priorities led Rondeau and her team to enlist Mason Studio, the Toronto interior design firm known for both its community-minded ethos and its rich, narrative-driven approach to each project. “We’re big fans of collaborating with local people,” says Rondeau. “In Quebec, we work with a glass studio that is 15 kilometres from our workshop, and that relationship is so special. So when we got the lease here, we wanted to collaborate with someone who we knew would make the store feel connected to Toronto. And I have always really admired Mason’s work.” The resulting storefront is a calm, thoughtful showcase of both Luminaire’s greatest hits and latest launches — all spread out to give everything plenty of breathing room. “We are conscious of how we present the collection — we didn’t want to overwhelm people by showing everything,” Rondeau notes.

Interior view of Luminaire Authentik's Toronto showroom with modern pendant lights, round table with three stools, wooden wall paneling, abstract art, and polished concrete floor.

Modern interior with hanging pendant lights, a metal chair with geometric shapes, a wooden divider, artwork, and a small table with a stacked sculpture.

With that in mind, most of Luminaire Authentik’s lighting ranges — including the geometric Forma and the petal-like Pivoine series, which have both become fast favourites of hospitality designers — are given their own dedicated zones, with wooden partitions sectioning the shop off into calm vignettes. On the other hand, there are also a couple spots filled with playfully dense clusters for maximum impact. Upon arrival, visitors pass beneath a large family of pendants, while the back wall is illuminated by dozens of different sconces, creating a large graphic composition that also makes for easy comparison shopping.

Luminaire Authentik's Toronto showroom displays modern wall-mounted light fixtures on white panels, with wooden tables and chairs in the foreground and overhead pendant lights.

Luminaire Authentik founder Maude Rondeau stands by a wooden table in a modern room decorated with various wall and ceiling lights.

Back at the front of the showroom, another section dubbed “The Gallery” features display panels arranged by the brand’s artistic director, Jeremy Le Chatelier. Each one collects inspiration images, material samples and sketches that chart the development of new and upcoming products. (Stay tuned for sconces with raw, elemental metallic backplates later this fall, while a hardware collection including handles and dimmer switches is also in the works for down the road.)

Modern showroom with tan sofas, a round coffee table, and various circular wall lights displayed on a white wall; industrial ceiling and neutral decor.

Rondeau started Luminaire Authentik from her garage in 2015, eager to demonstrate that Quebec manufacturing could deliver modern, customizable lighting at competitive prices. The showroom includes a few decor elements that feel like nods to these early days of at-home entrepreneurship. An old CRT television plays production footage in one corner, while wonderfully worn-in vintage caramel leather seating holds court at the back.

Modern lounge with tan leather sofa, armchair, round coffee table, brown rug, wall lights, and shelves displaying colored samples in a well-lit space with large windows.

A modern pendant light hangs in a black arched alcove set within a beige wall, casting a warm glow.

Meanwhile, the nearby wall of material swatches demonstrates just how quickly the brand has scaled up, highlighting the 60-odd colour options that Luminaire Authentik now offers its products in. (The lineup was recently expanded to introduce chocolate and burgundy tones that feel especially of the moment.) Throughout the showroom, a series of bar tables allow staff to meet with designers to talk through special customization requests, or to discuss in-stock inventory that’s available with short lead times. Impressively, all the brand’s lighting is still made entirely in Quebec’s Eastern Townships region.

Luminaire Authentik is excited to use its new Toronto flagship as a true design hub, with plans to host upcoming launch parties, lunch and learns and other programming that draws the local community in. With these events in mind, one especially fun detail — an arched cutout in the back wall that offers a direct pass-through to the kitchen and bar zone behind it — was designed to allow for easy drink refills. Later this fall, Luminaire Authentik and Mason Studio will also unveil a second phase of the showroom, introducing an expanded designer workspace in a back library zone that will be drenched in deep, moody hues to contrast the front area’s light, airy feel. After all, lights look even better in the dark.

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