West Hartford Designers Give Light Switches a Modern Upgrade

You remodel your home. You pick the perfect paint, replace trim, select fixtures that express your style. And then, when you’re finished, you screw the old $1 plastic switch plates onto the wall.

A team of designers at Legrand in West Hartford has reimagined the details of rooms that are usually overlooked when thinking about design. That includes taking the humble light switch and asking it to do more, to look nicer and to give homeowners options. The company recently launched a line called adorne, which includes light switches, dimmers, outlets, wall plates, under cabinet lighting, connectivity and wireless systems.

It’s not a huge leap – Legrand, a French company with its North American headquarters in West Hartford, makes products for electrical installations and information networks, according to its website.

“Historically, consumers and designers haven’t given these products a second thought—if anything, they were more concerned with hiding them than with how they functioned or looked,” said Mario Gonzalez, vice president of marketing for the adorne Collection, in a press release. “Legrand’s extensive U.S. market research, as well as our experience in European markets, tells us that consumers and the architectural and design community are ready for someone to rethink these product categories.”

The switches, dimmers, and outlets are square and fit flush within the wall plate – no switch necessary – and come in 32 finishes, including cast metals, natural woods, leather, and an array of colors.

“Our goal with this product segment is to help homeowners view switches and outlets – not as eyesores to work around – but as beautiful yet functional design features that complement their décor and elevate the style of any room,” said Gonzalez. “A perfect example—and a piece that we consider to be iconic in the collection—is the three-receptacle Pop-Out™ Outlet. It’s an elegant solution—simply pop it out when you need it, and push it back in so it fits flush to the wall with the outlets discreetly hidden when not in use.”

When Legrand tossed the old-fashioned switch, it opted to offer a variety of interfaces, including a touch-screen switch, a switch that works by the wave of a hand, and an energy-saving “SensaSwitch™” that turns lights on and off when people enter and leave the room. 

The line is now available nationally at Lowes and Home Depot stores.

According to the Hartford Courant, Legrand’s West Hartford facility is known as as Legrand Wiremold. It employs 550 people in manufacturing electrical components and in corporate functions.

Watch a video showing off Legrand’s adorne line here.