Rejuvenation vs. Schoolhouse vs. Research.Lighting: Minimal Isn’t a Style. It’s a Point of View
Let’s start with this: Schoolhouse, Rejuvenation, and Research.Lighting all make good-looking lights. If you’re into modern fixtures with a clear design POV, you’ve probably bounced between the three. Understandable. But while we’re technically neighbors in the lighting world, we’re not speaking the same design language. Minimal means something different to each of us. And for us, it’s never just a look.
Schoolhouse Modern: Nostalgia, Made Fresh
Schoolhouse knows its lane and stays true to it. There’s a real charm in the way they rework old-school forms with updated materials and palettes. You’ll find vintage curves, ceramic bases, and brass details styled like a Wes Anderson still. It’s maximal in spirit, even when the shapes are simple. A little more layered, a little more storybook, a little more nostalgia.
Rejuvenation: Utility with a Heritage Feel
Rejuvenation builds like a hardware brand because they are one. Their lighting lineup is huge, practical, and rooted in architectural detail. Big on finish options, scale, and built-in versatility. If you’re renovating top to bottom and want everything to match - sconces, pendants, chandeliers, pulls, rods, the works - they’ve got it. Clean, composed, and tailored toward projects with a more transitional / traditional assortment, relatively speaking.
Dish Pendant, Black, 12in Glass Shade, 3in Glass Diffuser
Research.Lighting: Minimal & Warm
This is where we land. We’re not after nostalgia or finish-matching everything in sight. We keep it pared-back on purpose. Sculptural, yes. Soft around the edges, also yes. Each fixture is built to order in Brooklyn with a focus on shape, proportion, and quiet charm. A little asymmetry here, a nice rhythm there. Nothing loud. Nothing extra. Just intentional design that knows when to stop.
Bunch Pendant, Black, with 5in Glass Globes
Different Brands, Different Intentions
This isn’t a ranking. It’s a perspective check. Schoolhouse leans decorative. Rejuvenation leans traditional. We lean sculptural & modern. And if your version of minimal comes with a side of clarity and calm, you know where to find us.
See how Research.Lighting compares to Flos vs. Artemide, Moooi vs Foscarini or Louis Poulsen vs Artek.
