Our History

Our family owned and ran business has been passed down from generation to generation resulting in a robust history. 

Part of the Melbourne Lighting Industry Since 1952

Michael Sonnreich had been prolific in the Melbourne lighting industry for many years when he began working with owner and designer of Rite Lite, Mr Bower. Together, they were producing much of Melbourne’s lighting for distinct projects over many years such as the Palace Theatre in Bourke Street. Rite Lite handcrafted all the lighting for the Theatre from the chandeliers to the wall brackets which were all made from brass.

High Lite to Bad Wolf

High Lite was created by Michael and his father but was only manufactured for a short period until Michael changed direction and opened up MFT Lighting in 1961. MFT became a supplier to a vast network of chain stores such as Myer and Target, producing an extensive range of lighting.

In 2008 Michael’s son Mark began branching out part of the business into a bespoke range of artisan lighting. Branded under Bad Wolf, Mark is pushing the business into the modern era with a range of handcrafted lighting not seen in Australia before.

The knowledge and skills from generations of manufacturing in lighting have resulted in high-end pieces often made bespoke for customers. From hand made timber floor lamps with eco-friendly finishes to large metal spun hanging pendant lights, Bad Wolf’s custom designs are truly one of a kind. 

Over the years we have custom created lighting for many Cafes, Clubs, Bars, Hotels, Restaurants, Homes, Town Halls, Offices, Shops and Retail outlets with thousands of different designs over the eras.

 

Metal Spinning

Metal spinning is the nearly lost Art of turning a flat sheet into a round formed object such as a metal lamp shade. To do this you require a Spinning Lathe, a Spinning Tool, a “Blank” piece of sheet metal and a whole lot of Skill.
Mark has been Metal Spinning for over 30 years he has produced hundreds of thousands of pieces over this time. He creates his own “Chucks” (Form Shapes) from either timber for short run pieces, or Steel for higher volume production lines. This means he can create a shape for your lamp with flexible tooling costs. A Large Range of Chucks (Shapes) are available as standard production lines ready to be spun on.