Architects Honor Decorative Pendants with an Architectural Products’ PIA Award

The Product Innovation Awards (PIA) honor the most transformative products, systems, and materials that empower architects to reach new heights of creativity and performance in their designs.

The awards shine a spotlight on groundbreaking products and solutions, guiding architects, building owners, and specification influencers toward the creation of spaces that are both beautiful and highly functional. Judged by a distinguished panel of industry leaders, the program elevates manufacturers whose visionary concepts and advanced systems are shaping the future of the built environment. Amidst the thousands of new ideas introduced each year, the Decorative Pendants with Shades represent the pinnacle of excellence.

“These products stand out for their clean aesthetic, technical sophistication and user-centric flexibility.” – Architectural Product Innovation Award Judge

The Impact of Decorative Pendants with Shades

DMF’s X Series 3-inch and M Series 4-inch Decorative Pendants with Shades have rapidly become a defining element in contemporary architectural and interior design projects. Their influence is seen in several key areas:

Elevating Aesthetic and Ambiance

These pendants are celebrated for their ability to seamlessly blend high-output performance with refined design. The concealed hardware and die-cast aluminum shades create a sleek, symmetrical profile, allowing the fixtures to serve as both functional lighting and sculptural focal points. In hospitality and commercial projects, designers have used these pendants to establish visual rhythm and elevate the overall ambiance, making spaces feel both sophisticated and inviting. 

Versatility in Application

With options for narrow, medium, and wide shade distributions, as well as multiple lengths and mounting configurations, these pendants have been successfully integrated into a wide range of environments — from open-plan offices and hotel lobbies to upscale restaurants. The field-cuttable cord or stem mounting allows for tailored installations, accommodating high ceilings and unique architectural features. 

Enhanced Lighting Performance

The pendants’ advanced optical engineering — offering up to 3000 lumens, a full spectrum of color temperatures, and dimming down to 0.1% — enables designers to precisely select and control illumination. The shadowless uplight option, which allows for both direct and indirect lighting from a single fixture, has been particularly impactful in projects requiring layered lighting schemes. This flexibility supports both task and ambient lighting, improving visual comfort and energy efficiency. 

Design Flexibility and Customization

Specifically designed for architecturally demanding indoor and outdoor spaces, these fixtures have been praised for their modular design, tool-less field-changeable optics, and embedded drivers for easy serviceability. In open ceilings and shallow plenum installations, the pendants have enabled designers to achieve both aesthetic and technical goals without compromise, including improved lighting uniformity, reduced glare, and enhanced user experience, especially in collaborative and hospitality settings. 

The ability to select from various shade diameters, beam spreads, and color temperatures has empowered designers to customize lighting solutions for each project’s unique requirements. This has resulted in spaces that are not only visually striking but also highly functional, supporting diverse activities and moods throughout the day.

The Decorative Pendants with Shades are showcased in the November/December issue (page 58) of Architectural Products, with the 2025 honorees also noted on the magazine’s website.