Made-to-Order Lighting: What Specifiers Need to Know

Made-to-order lighting is a specification category with specific implications for project specification. Understanding these implications — lead times, customisation scope, documentation, and programme planning — allows interior architects to integrate MOSS Objects products into a project schedule without avoidable delays.

Made-to-Order Lighting Means No Stock

MOSS Objects does not hold finished inventory. Every luminaire produced is made to the configuration, finish, and dimensions confirmed at the point of order. This means lead time cannot be reduced by selecting a product that is already in stock. Standard lead times are eight to twelve weeks from order confirmation, depending on the collection and configuration complexity. The implication for programme planning is straightforward: the order confirmation date must sit at least eight to twelve weeks before the intended installation date. For projects with fixed completion deadlines, this shapes the design timeline, not just the procurement timeline.

What Can Be Customised at Order

At the point of order confirmation, the following are specified and fixed: finish from the standard range; number of elements in a configuration — Group of Three, Five, Seven, or Nine for Emily; module count for Dune; sphere count for Kosmos; cable length and suspension height; and textile cable colour where relevant. Custom finishes outside the standard range require additional lead time and minimum order quantities, and should be discussed with the studio before a project is committed to a specific finish option. Once an order is confirmed, changes to these parameters are subject to the production stage and may not be possible.

Documentation for Specification Packages

MOSS Objects provides the documentation required to include its products in a formal specification package: product specification sheets, CAD drawings in DXF format, IES photometric files, and dimensional drawings for non-standard configurations. This documentation is available at the enquiry stage — before an order is placed — allowing the luminaire to be included in the tender or construction information package with full technical backing. Samples can be requested concurrently to allow finish approval to proceed in parallel with the technical specification process.

Continuity for Multi-Phase Projects

For projects delivered in phases — a hotel property opened in stages, a restaurant with planned future fit-out — continuity of the specified finish and model is a practical requirement. MOSS Objects maintains its standard product and finish range with the intention of long-term continuity. A finish specified today is intended to be matchable for additions at a later date. For long-term or multi-phase projects, confirming the intended continuity policy with the studio at the outset is recommended.

When to Raise an Enquiry

The right time to raise an enquiry with MOSS Objects is as early as the lighting strategy for the project is being formed — not at the point when specification is being finalised. Early contact allows the studio to confirm availability, provide documentation for inclusion in the design file, and — if samples are required — arrange their delivery in time for the finish approval process. An early enquiry does not constitute an order and carries no commitment.

Interior architects planning a project that may include MOSS Objects lighting are invited to contact the studio directly at any stage of the design process.