At ArchLIGHT Summit in Dallas, I caught up with Austin Winski, Senior Sales Director at Optique Lighting, for his first interview representing the brand at the show.
Optique positions itself as a commercial spec line built around differentiation — Winski described nearly every product family as having enough nuance that it’s hard for competitors to cross, which he called a “spec locker” approach aimed at setting the industry standard rather than following it. The newest addition to that lineup is Velino, an architectural linear fixture Winski says carries the lowest UGR rating currently on the market. It’s minimal and slim by design, with T-grid clips and slots and an extrusion width matched to the industry-standard 5/16-inch dimension increasingly used for wood slat ceilings — a deliberate fit for that install trend.
Designers, Company Background, and AI in the Quoting Process
Winski was direct about how central lighting designers are to Optique’s go-to-market strategy, calling designer outreach a priority and design itself “everything” when it comes to shaping how a space gets lit. Based in Emeryville, California, Optique has had Winski on board for three to four years, where as sales director he runs the quotes team and inside sales, supports reps across every territory, and stays close to the company’s larger projects.
On technology, Winski said AI is reshaping quoting industry-wide, but Optique has kept people at the center of the process — quotes route through the sales and inside sales teams working directly with reps and project contacts, rather than automated responses, with turnaround typically landing in the 24-to-48-hour range depending on project size.
Market Conditions, the Shift Away from Downlights, and a SpaceX Project
This is Optique’s first year exhibiting at ArchLIGHT Summit, and Winski said the quality of conversations has outweighed the quantity — a trade-off he’s happy with.
On the broader lighting economy, Winski pointed to a shift in Optique’s own business: as a tape-based extrusion company traditionally focused on accent lighting, the brand is increasingly finding its products used for general, main-space illumination instead. He sees downlights following the same trajectory as trackheads before them — not disappearing outright, but shrinking and giving ground to cove and perimeter lighting systems built into the ceiling.
Winski also shared that Optique has been specified for millwork — a wet-rated, flexible product — on an upcoming SpaceX project in the Austin/San Antonio area, expected to ship sometime next year. He noted, with a laugh, that getting images once the project is complete will be a challenge given how private SpaceX projects tend to be.
Watch the Full Interview
Winski and I covered the Velino launch, Optique’s design-first philosophy, where AI fits into quoting, and a high-profile SpaceX project on the horizon. Watch the full interview below.