Illuminations

This place is great. The sales staff is knowledgeable and creative and offer great suggestions without being pushy. They carry top quality, modern, artistic designs that will not be found elsewhere.

Looking for a new kitchen light so I headed down to Illuminations this Saturday morning on the advice of a friend. According to their facebook page and website they were to be open from 11 – 5 on Saturday. Wrong! They posted a sign on their door saying they were closed on Saturdays in August. It’s 2014 and hours cannot be kept up to date on a facebook page and website? Fail.

My husband and I just bought a row house in cap hill and have been perplexed on how exactly to light it. Navigating the many choices of recessed lights and fixtures on the market is daunting. We walked into illuminations and Paul, a lighting designer himself, was amazingly helpful and patient. He listened carefully to all our needs and challenges and gave us the most informative lesson we have ever had on lighting. Everything from trims for recessed lights to the effects of different types of bulbs and how important it is to layer light. We walked out feeling much more confident. He never pushed us into buying anything (which we didn’t, but when we are ready for fixtures we will certainly go back.) this is refreshingly amazing and attentive service, without a salesy vibe. Love it and will def be a future customer.

An excellent retailer with a nice selection and excellent technical/​repair support. I bought items there almost 15 years ago and still use them. The very few times they needed servicing, their in-​house repair technician has made prompt, reasonably priced repairs. In one case he was upfront about why an item that had developed an issue would not be practical or economical to repair, so I live with the issue!
The inventory is top of the line, good quality, and is not cheap. With the after-​the-​sale support and ability to do repairs, however, you can make a good case that it is a good value.

We visited Illuminations Penn Quarter location (they apparently also have a storefront in Georgetown) in search of a ceiling fan and were very happy with their selection, price, and service. They also have a amazing selection of modern lighting. A search of other area retailers (mostly the big boxes) for fans was incredibly disappointing in terms of design, function, and price. I mean, it’s a ceiling fan, but does it have to look like something designed for country living? Illuminations had a good selection of modern lighting, including ceiling fans, and we quickly found one to our liking. It ended up being less expensive than comparable items at the big boxes. Do expect to wait a week or more for your delivery, as they did not stock many (or any) of the fans on display. We received ours about a week or so later. Overall though, Illuminations was a great end to an altogether annoying search for a decent ceiling fan. Let’s just say that the experience was satisfying enough that it necessitated me writing my first Unilocal review and awarding 5 starts.