About Us

Who are we?
Cotterell & Co. have gone back to their roots to over 70 years ago in lampshade manufacture.  We are now reinventing bespoke lighting by utilizing innovative techniques, new materials, in-house design and long-standing relationships. The result is exclusivity combined with endless variety, successfully tapping into the zeitgeist for all things bespoke.

 Far more at your fingertips…

 

Design your own bespoke lighting with Cotterell & Co. We use innovative materials and use of scale to create the perfect pieces. Bring your style and room to life with a shade that’s lined in a wallpaper of your choice and covered in an array of luxurious materials – even your own if you’ve got some to spare.

 

Play with colours, textures, finishes and metallics. Lights transform when lit and you can change the complete look & feel of your room.

  

Scale, choice and a huge range of fittings and fixtures is always a challenge for a small, family run business. What do you do? Play to your strengths, go the extra mile and innovate – use what you have. We create and design with our customers and interior design clients alike, lighting schemes can be daunting, especially when starting from scratch. We offer a bespoke lighting specification service – answering all your lighting queries and we can also work off plan too. 

  

Change doesn’t have to break the bank, a new shade can make all the difference -  a little like throwing a new cushion on a sofa. Introducing new colours and textures – perhaps a little pattern can make a real change!

 

Our Lucerne for example, completely changes with a different shade.

We offer a re-covering service and using our many years in shade making we’re able to recover existing fittings in an array of materials to really switch things up and create something completely unique for the customer.

 

Designing our own light fittings means we can problem solve & innovate as we go.  Below is an image of one of our Rocke shades, that's handcrafted in Glasgow - made in the beautiful Mairi Helena fabric. This lovely customer popped into store, saw the shade & fell in love - it brings the colours in her room together beautifully.

 

Life doesn’t have to be grey, Rocke – our in house design brand was born out of our customers' desire for something very different from the ubiquitous cream lampshade. 

A little bit more.... Cotterell & Co opened its first lighting shop back in 1952 in Glasgow. From humble beginnings we have grown into one of the country’s leading suppliers of indoor and outdoor lighting with stores in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Our range of design-led furniture, mirrors and home accessories has expanded year on year. Cotterell and Co is still very much a family business, and entered its third generation when Lorraine Cotterell took over the reins.

Meet the Owners

Lorraine Cotterell & Millar Hamilton 

Lorraine grew up surrounded by lighting. Cotterell and Co was set up by her father and grandfather. After studying at art school and spending a number of years travelling and working in Eastern Europe and Russia, Lorraine headed home to Glasgow to join the family business – the pull was irresistible! Lorraine drives the creative direction of Cotterell and Co. She works closely with manufacturers for Cotterell's own C&C brand to come up with innovative and beautiful products. Along with her business partner Millar, they opened new stores in Edinburgh and Newcastle introducing furniture and home accessories alongside lighting.
 
Our History, by Lorraine Cotterell
Lighting has been in my family ever since I can remember. One of my earliest memories is sitting in the backroom of the shop surrounded by hundreds of lamps and shimmering lights. My grandfather and grandmother started it all off with my father in 1952. Back then, they decided to manufacture lampshades to wholesale. Then they sourced lamp bases for the lamp shades. They set up a manufacturing facility in Dunlop Street in Glasgow and before long they were providing lighting to shops and hotels across Scotland. Then in the 70s my father and grandmother moved to new premises in Scotland Street, which is where you’ll find the shop today. My dad would often make trips to Spain and Italy in search of new products and designers.  As I got older I went along to help out. I accompanied him on his first trip to Taiwan!
Mirrors, which are intimately connected to lighting, are in the Cotterell blood too. In the 1800s, one of my ancestors left Como, a well-known glass-making area in Italy, for Glasgow. His descendants, Frederick, Rocke and John Cotterell, were glass bevellers and silverers, carvers and gilders, and set up a mirror-manufacturing company. Rocke, who had been at the Glasgow Art School at the time of the first Glasgow Boys, designed the over-mantel mirrors and furniture. Another brother emigrated to Australia in the 19th century and started up a branch of the Cotterell mirror business there.
I too studied drawing & painted at Glasgow School of Art and then took off around the world looking for adventure. I worked in the arts and studied painting in Eastern Europe and Russia for a number of years before I felt the irresistible ‘pull’ home to Glasgow and Cotterell and Co. Aged 30, I joined Cotterell and Co and worked alongside my father and later my business partner Millar Hamilton. We expanded the business, opening new shops in Edinburgh, Newcastle. We introduced new ranges and products, including furniture and home accessories. Like my father, I seek inspiration in the world around me. Millar and I travel the world looking for the very best new products and designers. We love to support Scottish talent too. For us, it’s all about forging relationships on chance meetings and bringing back beautiful things for others to enjoy and light up their homes.
Over the years Cotterell and Co has grown into one of the country’s leading suppliers of lighting with stores in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle. And now we have our fabulous online store! It’s there thanks to the hard work of the Cotterells that have gone before me and all our wonderful staff and customers. May it long continue!
Why should you choose to shop with Cotterell & Co? 
Peace of mind
We’ve been around for over 60 years, so you’re in experienced and reliable hands. We’re always on the end of the phone if you have any problems and we offer fuss-free returns.
High quality at irresistible prices
Because we’ve been in the business for a while, we’ve built up long-standing relationships with our suppliers and guarantee the highest quality at the best prices. We work with fresh talent to create beautiful designs and we find the best craftsmen to make the products.
Giving you choice
We may be well established, but we never stop exploring. We travel the world seeking inspiration, looking for the latest trends and discovering beautiful new products and fabulous designers. We pick the best and make it available to you.
The personal approach
We’re a family-run business and we’re proud of our personal service. You can call our team for advice on lighting, furniture and home accessories. We can even come to your home for a design consultation. And you’re always welcome to pop into any of our stores for a browse and a chat.
On the high street
Online shopping’s great, but sometimes you really want to check out that particular mirror in person or try out that chair for size. Thanks to our stores, you can do just that.
Our Price Guarantee
At Cotterell & Co we offer our fantastic range products at the best possible price. In the unlikely event that you find an identical product for less elsewhere we’ll match it. (Terms & conditions apply.) If you do find a cheaper price, contact us with the full details.