Matthew McCormick — Halo Pendant Lamp -

Matthew McCormick’s Halo is a modular pendant lighting system that turned a small, commissioned idea into an award-winning family of luminaires. It reads like suspended jewelry: warm, jewel-like housings that hold a proprietary LED ring and can be composed into multi-light installations. The design balances craft, modularity and a clear narrative impulse that made it popular with designers and specifiers.

Product at a glance — what Halo is

Halo is a series of pendant lights available in multiple diameters and finishes. Each unit contains a circular LED luminaire (the “halo”) housed in a hand-finished metal casing with polished, textured or plated surfaces. The modular system lets designers specify single pendants or complex clusters (2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 lights and more) to create both intimate and large-scale compositions. The pieces are offered in high-end finishes (brass, copper, nickel, gold plating) and are engineered for dimmable performance suited to residential, hospitality and curated commercial interiors.

Designer mindset — story, surface and system

McCormick approaches lighting as both sculpture and service. For Halo he started from a visual idea (graphic effervescence) and translated it into a pragmatic system: an elegant, repeatable luminaire whose warmth and surface finish do much of the storytelling. His brief combined three priorities — a strong, photogenic form; high optical quality; and adaptability so specifiers could scale the concept across projects without losing the design’s identity.

Inspiration and origin story

Halo’s original spark came from a commission tied to an Italian Prosecco brand: McCormick abstracted the idea of rising bubbles and golden effervescence into a graphical ring of light encased in jewel-like housings. That origin—translating a liquid, celebratory motion into a suspended, material object—gives the collection its soft, buoyant attitude.

From sketch to modular system — the development journey

The Halo development followed an iterative design-engineering loop:

Concept sketches and form studies defined the silhouette and ring proportion.

Optical work determined the LED ring geometry and diffuser to achieve an even, warm glow without visible hotspots.

Small-scale mockups and full-size prototypes validated scale, balance and mounting details for single and clustered configurations.

Surface finish tests (brass plating, brushed metal, 24k options) were made to find the right jewel-like feel that reads well both lit and unlit.

Final engineering reconciled driver placement, thermal paths and a mounting system that allows easy installation and modular combinations.

This process kept the poetic intent intact while solving the daily constraints of lighting performance and manufacture.

Materials, finishes and craft

Halo’s identity depends heavily on material choices. The housings are machined or formed metal finished by hand (polish, plating, patina), while the light engine is a proprietary LED ring designed for warm color rendering and dimmability. Finishes are selected to create a tactile, jewelry-like presence—brass and gold for warmth, nickel or black for contemporary restraint—so the piece functions visually even when off. These finish options also let specifiers tune the fixture to varied interior palettes.

Optical & engineering highlights

Key engineering work centered on the LED ring optics and thermal management. Achieving even, soft output without visible source points required carefully designed diffusers and LED spacing; thermal paths were integrated into the metal housings so drivers and LEDs maintain longevity. The modular canopy and suspension hardware were configured to make multi-light compositions straightforward to install and service.

Prototyping, testing and user feedback

Prototyping included both photometric testing (to measure lumen distribution and color consistency) and real-world installations to assess scale and emotional effect. Designers tested clusters at different densities and heights to learn how Halo’s warm glow and reflective finishes behaved in dimmed hospitality settings versus bright retail or residential installations. Feedback loops from early clients and showrooms refined canopy layouts and standard cluster configurations.

Manufacturing & customization strategy

The Halo system is produced with a combination of precision machining and hand finishing. Standard catalog options exist for common cluster sizes, but the system was designed to accommodate custom plans—different diameters, mixed finishes, and bespoke canopy arrangements—to suit architectural projects. This hybrid approach (repeatable core components + artisanal surface work) allows controlled quality while supporting limited custom editions.

Awards & recognition — industry validation

Halo received multiple awards and industry accolades, including a Golden A’ Design Award in the Lighting Products and Fixtures category and recognition across design juries and editorial platforms. These honors amplified Halo’s profile internationally, opening gallery and specification opportunities and positioning Matthew McCormick Studio as a notable young lighting brand.

Market fit — where Halo works best

Halo excels where atmosphere and craft matter most: boutique hotels, premium restaurants, high-end residential projects and curated retail environments. Its jewel-like presence and flexible modularity make it a favorite for designers who want a statement pendant that also scales into larger installations without losing coherence.