Franklite

Who Franklite are

Franklite are a British decorative lighting manufacturer, established in 1972 and based in Milton Keynes. They design in-house and supply through independent lighting retailers rather than selling direct, which is why the range turns up in showrooms rather than on the high street. The catalogue is built around coordinated ranges rather than one-off designs, so a chandelier, a matching pair of wall lights and a table lamp from the same family are usually available together.

What the range covers

The decorative side is the bulk of it: chandeliers and multi-arm ceiling fittings, pendants, wall lights, flush and semi-flush ceiling fittings for lower rooms, and table and floor lamps. Alongside that sits a technical range of fire-rated downlights with interchangeable bezels, and a spares catalogue of replacement glass, shades and bezels that is unusually complete. That last part matters more than it sounds: a broken shade on a Franklite fitting is usually a replaceable part rather than a replacement fitting.

Ranges worth knowing

Several families run across multiple fixture types. Valentina and Wisteria are the crystal ranges, built from cut glass drops on chrome frames, and they scale from a single wall light up to fifteen-light chandeliers. Spirit is the lighter crystal option. Mezcla and Refract are the contemporary glass ranges, with ribbed and smoked options. Broadway covers the spotlight and sleeve system. Carillon and Turin sit at the more decorative end of the chrome fittings. Buying within one family is the simplest way to light a whole room consistently.

The glass is included

Worth stating plainly, because it is not universal in decorative lighting: on Franklite's decorative fittings the glass or shade is supplied with the fitting rather than sold separately. Some manufacturers quote a frame price and charge for shades on top, which makes a direct price comparison misleading. The exception is the technical range, where a fire-rated downlight has no decorative glass and the bezel is a separate item, so a downlight and its chosen bezel are ordered as two parts.

Finishes across the range

Chrome and satin nickel dominate, particularly on the crystal ranges where a cool frame lets the glass do the work. Brass, satin brass and antique brass appear across the contemporary and traditional fittings, with matt black and bronze on the more architectural designs and the exterior range. Because the families run across fixture types, a finish chosen for a ceiling fitting can usually be matched on wall lights and lamps from the same family, which is harder to achieve buying across manufacturers.

Choosing and fitting

Two practical points come up repeatedly. First, weight: crystal fittings are heavier than they look, and a multi-arm crystal chandelier needs its ceiling fixing into a joist or a proper support rather than plasterboard alone. Check the stated weight against what you are fixing into. Second, drop: most pendants and chandeliers come with a rod or chain set that adjusts within a stated minimum and maximum, so measure your ceiling height before ordering rather than assuming a fitting will shorten far enough.

Bulbs and dimming

Most of the decorative range takes standard lamps, commonly E14 and E27, with G9 on the smaller crystal fittings, so re-lamping is straightforward and you keep control of brightness and colour temperature. Warm white at 2700K to 3000K suits crystal and warm metals best; cooler light flattens both. Where a fitting is integrated LED, the specification says so and the whole unit is replaced at end of life. Dimmability is listed per product and depends on the lamp as much as the fitting.