When I was a young boy in the early 1960s, my parents bought a derelict farmhouse in Great Neck, Long Island, and set about restoring it. My father did most of the work himself, and he was often frustrated by the quality of reproduction early American lighting that was available at the time. So, being a hands-on, well read self-starter, he began building his own reproductions in the basement of our house.

Within a few years, that basement workshop had grown into a small lighting company in New York City. The humble workshop in midtown Manhattan gradually established a respected reputation with some of the finest decorators, designers and architectural firms in the world before moving in 1979 to a converted pick mill in the rural town of Rupert, Vermont — where Authentic Designs found the shape it holds today.

Throughout all of it, my father held a deep respect and admiration for Colonial Williamsburg. We took family trips there often and even as a restless 12-year old boy, Williamsburg was powerful and inspiring. My dad had always been captivated by early American craftsmanship and architecture, and for him Williamsburg represented one of the finest expression of that world — a place he spoke of, for as long as I can remember, as somewhere he hoped Authentic Designs might one day have a real relationship with.

That relationship exists now. Being able to say that fills me with pride, and with a real sense of responsibility — Williamsburg's standard of historical accuracy and craftsmanship is extraordinary, and we take our contribution and participation in that legacy seriously. Recently, my son Lucas and I visited Williamsburg together and had the pleasure of being guided through an assortment of archives and buildings in an effort to study and gather design details to incorporate into this new and historically informed collection. The Williamsburg staff has been as generous and knowledgeable as they are exacting, and this has surely been one of the most rewarding collaborations of my career. 

2026 marks sixty years since Authentic Designs was founded, alongside a milestone 100th year for Colonial Williamsburg and the 250th anniversary of our country. Although that timing had not been planned, it is wonderful that these multiple overlapping histories have been woven into this auspicious coincidence. 

Although my father didn't live to see this partnership come together I know what it would have meant to him. I think of that often as I work alongside my son and the younger craftspeople at Authentic Designs. We're grateful for the chance to collaborate with Colonial Williamsburg to carry these noble skills and classical aesthetics forward into the future.