•  Niche Modern: Husband-and-wife team Jeremy Pyles and Mary Welch began this company in 2005 after failing to find simple yet elegant lighting fixtures. At first, they commissioned their own pendants with a Brooklyn glass blower. Today, they have their own art glass studio in Beacon, N.Y., where pendant lights and chandeliers are hand-blown in warm, translucent grays and ambers. “Each piece of glass is handcrafted, furnaces roaring, then lovingly assembled into a full fixture before shipping,” says Mary Welch. www.nichemodern.com.

•  Spoonflower: Started in 2008, this Durham, N.C., company makes it possible for designers and DIYers to design and print their own fabrics for window treatments and home accessories such as pillows. Spoonflower uses non-toxic ink to digitally print on 10 types of fabric. Customers can create original designs or choose from an inventory of more than 100,000. Owner Stephen Fraser says Spoonflower also will soon be able to print eco-friendly — and removable — wallpaper. “All along the novelty of Spoonflower has been the novelty of making customization available to regular people,” says Fraser. www.spoonflower.com.

•  Vahallan Papers: Two friends launched this hand-painted wallpaper company in a garage 15 years ago. “I will never forget making paper in the winter and having to go inside between (finishing) sheets of paper and having to run our hands under warm water to get the feeling back,” says Nelson. The product line is sold through interior designers and at wallpaper retail stores. “When I say ‘hand painted,’ I truly mean it,” Nelson says. “We use our fingers to do almost all of our painting.” www.vahallan.com.