The Boob Lamp's Final Boss

An Interview with Tulip Shades' Founder Lori Smyth

Feb 20, 2025

*Tulip founder Lori Smyth under their “Lamp Natural” shade*

Growing up in an apartment, I, like many other big city dwellers, know the boob lamp too well. I lived with a mother who was (and still is) too scared to change a lightbulb, and despite the amount of time and energy I love to put into my own space, I have never changed out a light fixture. Even now, my fiancé and I have a perfectly good PH 5 Pendant Lamp ~~collecting dust~~ sitting in our storage unit. I dream about ripping out our heinous ceiling lamps daily and wiring in a new one, but it’s all too much.

When I first saw Tulip, I was intrigued; how hard is it going to be to get these installed (turns out it’s easy). They looked well-made, beautiful, and well-priced (???). Shades start full-priced at $139 (though there is one on sale for $116 as I publish this).

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When I reached out to the founder Lori Smyth’s team, I mentioned that this newsletter never includes sponsored content or affiliate links. This isn’t an ad, I really only share things I genuinely love, and I was soOo curious to dig into how this brand got started (hint: it has to do with boxers).

So, without further ado—Lori!

Your background is in interior design and home building, but am I right that you took it from a hobby and pivoted into a career? Can you tell me a bit about that journey?

I had the good fortune to buy and improve a couple of homes when I was newly married. That marriage ended unfortunately and I found myself in need of a job so I bought a house. It was one of those things where people were like you’re really good at this. So, I bought a house, flipped it, and ended up doing that same thing for the next 25 years in Santa Barbara, Ca. During my career as a spec builder and interior designer. one design element that stood out to take a home from good to great was the lighting design. I’ve always been attracted to certain spaces—like dive bars. Why? It’s the dim, sexy, moody lighting. That’s what we crave in a space.

The idea of Tulip happened at a friends son's graduation party. The apartment had the classic boob light in the middle of the ceiling and it was obvious to me that the lighting was killing the vibe so I grabbed a pair of red boxers (clean) and snapped them over the light. The immediate audible response from the guest was the moment I realized that this is an problem that needs a solution. I started working on the idea while still building homes but retired out of home building a couple of years ago and have been working on Tulip full time since then.

Lori, her son, and the boxer shorts in action

I've thought about other products, I love the idea of adaptable objects—creating products that are in addition to what you already have so you don’t have to get rid of your things, but instead, transform them.

How would you describe Tulip?

I love the idea of helping people feel better in their spaces. The original goal of Tulip was to transform how you feel in your environment—supporting your nervous system and providing the kind of light that helps you relax. I love the idea of doing something that nobody's ever done before while also doing it thoughtfully.

We always try to make sure our integrity is intact, we work with small factories that take care of the people who work there (x). Through the materials we're using, we try to be as environmentally friendly as we can. Tulip is such a simple solution—but lighting has such a big impact.

Besides your Tulip shades, what is your favorite piece of home decor you own that scratches the same itch (i.e. transforming a space without having to knock down walls and tear out fixtures).

I think for me, it's artwork—the art and the color in your space, the real artisanal, handmade things (whatever that is) to me that gives me place, helps me feel at home. Having artist made pieces; a painting, drawing, ceramics—those are the pieces that transform a space and tell a story.

You've tackled one serious issue (THE BOOB LIGHT). If you could wave a magic wand and fix something in the design space next, what would it be and why?

We have some ideas with Tulip, how to make them pendant lights, we're thinking about sconces—but I have another product in a completely different industry—the sexual wellness industry—that is an adaptable product. I have had this in my brain for 15 years and it still would be great. If I get enough airspace to do something else and can have it live under Tulip, that would be the dream.

At its core, I want Tulip to represent adaptable products, for sustainability.

I saw a post from a while ago tagging Schiaparelli poking them about a collaboration (which would be incredible and I will be the first to purchase one)—for a future line, who would a dream collaborator be?

There is an amazing young woman, my co-founder—I've been working on this for about 5 years and she came 2 years ago to help me launch the product. We met at a party where serendipitous things happen! Bitty has an operations background (her name’s Elizabeth, but her nickname’s Bitty), and she is the brains behind so much of Tulip. She has been such a huge part of this. In terms of collaborations, she was the one who came up with the Eva Joan idea.

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We really want to work with artists, sure we can sit there and come up with different patterns and pay fabric designers to make them—but just coming from our own viewpoint the whole time is not in the spirit of the brand. Ruggable is a great example of a brand who is killing it with collaborations. So for us, it’s amazing to start picking out these creatives and to seeing it working.

Schiaparelli would be a dream! There are so many people we’d love to work with. One of the things is, it's so easy to tap somebody who is well known, but what we want to do is tap the more unknown but brilliant collaborators.

In terms of inspiration, my son has been such a resource for me, I wouldn't have met Xavier Donnelly without him. We have some collaborations coming up that I can't say much about right yet, but think: painters, illustrators, fabric designers. I'd also love to at some point find a collaboration where they make a completely different shape, let them play, like an industrial designer.

We're going to have our basic models always, but to know we can do these one-off drops and have success with them is great.

Where's your favorite place to shop for home decor?

I'm not a big shopper! I love vintage, I love finding the cool oil painting at Goodwill—I really feel like we over-consume. When I need furniture, I'm very selective, I will buy one really killer classic piece that I've had my eye on, and then I will just find stuff all over the place. I don't spend a lot of time buying stuff. Being in interiors, I love ceramics, that's what I like!

What's one piece of interior design advice you think is universal?

#1. Pay attention to lighting.

#2. Scale. Go big or go home, don't be scared.

Be bold!

You can find Tulip and all their products (including their recent Eva Joan collab!) here & follow them on Instagram here.