"Authentic Designs was founded by my grandfather, Danny Krauss, in 1966, in New York City. As is the case with many innovations, it was born of necessity. Danny was a lover of opera, classical art and all things historical. He also loved working with his hands and after purchasing an old Long Island Farmhouse, decided to restore it. After much construction and wanting the decor to be in keeping with the “old bones” of the house, he began searching for old furniture and lighting. Field trips to antique shops yielded nothing of quality in period lighting that his humble budget could support so he began to create his own reproductions. As the old adage says, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” And he did.
In the basement of the old house with nothing but his ingenuity and some scrap copper, Danny set to work building reproductions of early lighting he had discovered. The accompanying photo illustrates an example of the first fixture he created using a piece of plumbing pipe. Once the home was finished, family, guests and visitors admired their style and quality.
Before long, Danny purchased a small lighting shop in Manhattan and with a single employee, Gaston Shaw to assist him, he began producing a line of carefully researched 18th and 19th century lighting. Danny eventually joined forces with a business acquaintance and Viennese coppersmith and holocaust survivor named Abraham Flam. He also hired his son, Michael as Mr. Flam’s apprentice. With a growing client base of homeowners, designers and architectural firms, Authentic Designs continues to produce quality period lighting in Vermont."
-Luke Krauss, Third Generation of Authentic Designs
Since our inception in Danny’s Long Island basement, Authentic Designs has grown from humble beginnings into an industry recognized lighting manufacturer. Our small staff is housed in a restored wood factory and continues to produce everything we sell by hand. Besides the working shop, this building also contains our sales offices and lighting showroom. Our client base includes international design and architectural firms as well as homeowners. We have created lighting for numerous museums and restorations, prominent hotels, TV and film productions and historically significant buildings across the country. Today, we are dedicated to producing high quality lighting in an assortment of styles and eras and providing the finest customer service anywhere to ensure our customers’ satisfaction.