From the Lake District to LA
Hector Finch started the eponymous lighting company in the mid 1980’s and first traded from a small antique centre in Preston, Lancashire. With his father, a general antiques dealer, they travelled widely across the North of England, buying stock from private houses, auctions and dealers. Hector’s natural talent for engineering and how things were made enabled him to find the right specialist restorers for antique fittings to be brought back to life. Some of these would pass through the hands of metal craftsmen, glass blowers, metal finishers and challenge the most able wirers before they were presented, fully restored, to his customers.
In 1991 Hector moved to London and set up a small shop in Chiswick Lane with two other dealers. Selling to private customers and rapidly developing a loyal following of interior designers, the business soon outgrew its premises and moved to Wandsworth Bridge Road in 1995. Still dealing in vintage fittings, many from Spain as well as England, Hector started to stock a few lines of modern manufactured lights and was the first shop in London to introduce a vast array of Moroccan lanterns, then in vogue for restaurants and private houses.
As the new millennium approached Hector’s wife, Emma, joined the business and the company started to design and manufacture a signature collection of fixtures, primarily for the design trade. At the same time, Emma found a showroom to represent the line in New York and in 2004 published a catalogue showcasing the high quality range that to this day forms the backbone of the Hector Finch Collection.
The range has grown with a design aesthetic of clean lines, correct proportions and a less-is-more philosophy and we fuse crisp, precision metalwork by British artisans with glass work sourced from mainland Europe. We pride ourselves in supporting specialist craft makers for our Italian glass and ceramic ranges and are passionate about maintaining relationships with traditional, family owned businesses. We believe in sustainability based on the simple premise that if something is well made and beautiful it will have a long and useful life and to this end believe that by sourcing local materials and components we are supporting our environment, community and economy. We continue to follow our aspiration to provide a product that sells across the world because it satisfies a demand for high quality, well designed lighting that will give pleasure to future generations.
From our new Head Office, Warehouse and Workshop premises at Easter's Court just outside the Herefordshire market town of Leominster and from our showroom in Chelsea Harbour, our team service an international client base of top interior designers, architects and private customers sourcing product for residential projects, boutique hotels, restaurants and contract work. Hector Finch designs are regularly featured in high-profile homes, restaurants and restoration projects from around the globe and appear in many of the design trade’s most respected magazines: World of Interiors, House & Garden, Architectural Digest and Veranda to name but a few.
Despite growing to have showrooms showcasing the brand across America and firmly establishing ourselves as one of the UK’s premier lighting resources, the ethos of the business remains firmly the same: impeccable customer service and immaculate quality products.
Ben Pentreath
“For years we’ve loved working with Hector, and so many of his simpler lights are go-to staples in our architectural and interior decoration projects – timeless classics that are beautifully made and well-priced.”
Annie Waite
"I have been purchasing lighting both antique and from Hector Finch’s inspirational collection for clients and also for my own home for many years now, both he and his team are friendly and a pleasure to deal with. The fittings are timeless and of lovely quality, he will also work to adapt them for any project from one light for a domestic project to multiples for commercial projects. Hector’s knowledge of lighting is extensive, the diversity of styles and finishes guarantee sourcing something for any style of project."
Willie Nickerson
"Hector is unusual that when you ask him to alter one of his designs for a project he enjoys the challenge and goes out of his way to achieve what you are trying to do.
His fittings all exude the quality of a designer who is also a manufacturer and vice versa."
Anonymous
"Very elegant, beautifully and interestingly designed and practical lights, for both inside and outside. I have 9 Zeus outdoor zinc lights, 5 Starback bronze wall lights with shades and a bronze Globe pendant light, and they are all absolutely wonderful. Thank you!"
Joanna Plant
"We have been firm supporters of all that Hector Finch do for many years and they are our first port of call when specifying light fittings for all our projects. Not only is everything well designed and of the best quality, the team are efficient and incredibly helpful. I take my hat off to Hector and Emma for creating such a first rate brand."