What Tobias Grau does

Tobias Grau (operating brand: GRAU) is a German designer and manufacturer of premium sculptural lighting, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Rellingen, Germany. The company designs and produces a portfolio of LED lamps across table, floor, pendant, wall, ceiling, and spotlight categories, with flagship lines including Salt and Fire (rechargeable table lamps), Parrot Floor and Parrot Table, John, Campfire, Falling Sun, Sun, Oh China Trace, Niceone, and the Team Pro / Team Suspension professional workspace range. Core technical differentiators are proprietary Sunset Dimming LED technology, which simulates natural sunset light transitions, and the companion GRAU App for smart control and dimming programming. Products are manufactured with a focus on sustainable quality materials such as mouth-blown opal glass, anodized aluminum, and machined metalwork.

GRAU operates a hybrid go-to-market model. On the consumer side, the company sells directly to end customers through its e-commerce storefront (grau.art), with unit prices spanning roughly $293 for entry-level pieces (e.g., Falling in Love) to $6,852 for premium sculptural pieces (e.g., Campfire), and with payment options including invoice, PayPal, credit card, and Klarna installments. On the professional side, GRAU serves offices, restaurants, and hospitality projects through a dedicated B2B Pro portal (pro.grau.art) offering project consultation, partner inquiries, and access to professional product lines such as Team Pro and Team Suspension. The company ships internationally across most of Europe and to the United States and United Kingdom, with localized checkout in German, English, and French. Marketing is content-led, using room-based inspiration galleries, project showcases (Novu Campus, Restaurant Rutz), and social channels (Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn) supported by an email newsletter. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time hardware sales, complemented by the GRAU Care warranty program and GRAU App software for post-purchase engagement.

Name

Tobias Grau

Legal name

GRAU

Website

https://tobiasgrau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tobias Grau (GRAU) is a German designer and manufacturer of sculptural LED lighting, founded in 1984. It sells premium lamps directly to consumers via grau.art and to professional clients through pro.grau.art, shipping across Europe and to the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Designer Lighting

NAICS

Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351), Residential Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335131), Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Lighting & Controls Retail (Smart Switches, Dimmers, Hubs) (CRAIAHAF)

Keywords

• Designer lighting fixtures
• LED table lamps
• Pendant lighting
• Portable cordless lamps
• Smart dimming technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Rellingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Lighting Product Sales: GRAU generates revenue primarily through the direct sale of their designer lighting products, including table lamps, floor lamps, pendant lights, wall lights, ceiling lights, and spotlights. Products are sold as one-time purchases with no subscription component visible. The product range spans various price points from approximately $293 to over $6,800.
2. B2B/Professional Lighting Solutions: GRAU serves professional clients including offices, restaurants, and commercial spaces through their Professionals division, providing tailored lighting solutions for projects such as office environments, workspace lighting, and hospitality venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tobias Grau (GRAU) designs, manufactures, and sells sculptural designer LED lighting products spanning rechargeable table lamps, pendant lights, floor lamps, desk lamps, spotlights, and professional workspace lighting. Products are differentiated by proprietary Sunset Dimming LED technology, smart app control via the GRAU App, and portable/cordless battery-powered options, and are sold primarily through the company's own direct-to-consumer e-commerce site (grau.art) and a dedicated B2B Pro portal (pro.grau.art) serving offices, restaurants, and hotels.

Product overview

Tobias Grau (GRAU) is a German lighting company offering a portfolio of sculptural lamps across multiple product lines: rechargeable table lamps (Salt, Fire), desk lamps (John, Parrot Table), floor lamps (Parrot Floor, Campfire), pendant lamps (Falling Sun, Sun, Oh China Trace, Niceone), spotlights (Love Focus, Falling in Love), and professional workspace lighting (Team Pro, Team Suspension). The product portfolio is organized by lamp type categories including Akkuleuchten (rechargeable), Tischleuchten (table), Stehleuchten (floor), Pendelleuchten (pendant), Wandleuchten (wall), Deckenleuchten (ceiling), Strahler (spotlights), and Zubehör (accessories). Products are complemented by the GRAU App for smart lighting control with Sunset Dimming technology, and the GRAU Care warranty program. The company serves both residential and professional/B2B markets with office lighting solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salt Rechargeable LED table lamp with warm dimmable light, minimalist design, and high-quality construction; available in multiple colors including Grey/Sand and Chocolate. Designed for residential atmospheric lighting without power outlet constraints.
• Fire Mobile rechargeable dimmable table lamp made of aluminum and mouth-blown glass, providing warm, moving light design for ambient residential and hospitality settings.
• Falling Sun
• Sun
• John
• Love Focus
• Parrot Floor Portable rechargeable LED floor lamp with height-adjustable shaft made of anodized aluminum, rotatable head, and warm dimmable light; cordless design enables flexible placement in residential and commercial settings.
• Parrot Table Multifunctional desk lamp available in Black-Brass and Dune finishes, designed as a workspace/task light for office and residential task lighting.
• Campfire
• Falling in Love
• Oh China Trace
• Niceone
• Team Pro
• Team Suspension

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Louis Poulsen: Danish heritage designer lighting brand with iconic pendants, table and floor lamps sold through premium residential and architectural specification channels. Comparable in design-led positioning, premium pricing, and global distribution.
• Occhio: German premium designer lighting manufacturer known for modular, high-quality luminaires with proprietary lighting technology (e.g., tunable color temperature). Very close comparable given German origin, premium positioning, and technology-driven design philosophy.
• Foscarini: Italian designer lighting brand known for sculptural, decorative lamps sold through premium design retailers globally. Direct comparable on aesthetic positioning and price tier, with similar DTC and showroom-driven model.
• Flos: Italian premium designer lighting manufacturer offering sculptural, architecturally significant lamps across residential and contract segments. Closest direct comparable given shared Italian/German design heritage, premium pricing, and similar portable/architectural product lines (e.g., Flos portable lamps vs. GRAU Salt/Fire).
• Vibia: Spanish premium lighting brand focused on architectural and decorative luminaires with strong specification-channel presence. Comparable for design language, premium pricing, and contract/consumer dual channel.
• Artemide: Italian architectural and designer lighting manufacturer with strong presence in both consumer and contract/project markets. Comparable across portfolio breadth, premium positioning, and emphasis on atmospheric/architectural illumination.
• Marset: Spanish designer lighting manufacturer with mid-to-premium pricing and a broad pendant, table, and floor lamp portfolio. Comparable in size, design-led DNA, and European-rooted global distribution.
• Tom Dixon: British designer brand producing sculptural lighting, furniture, and home objects with a strong DTC and contract channel mix. Comparable given premium positioning, designer-led identity, and dual consumer/professional distribution strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Philips Hue (Signify): Global leader in connected smart lighting with broad consumer app ecosystem. Comparable technology pillar (smart/app-controlled lighting) but operates at vastly larger scale and lower price points; represents both a competitor and a platform risk to GRAU's smart features.

Emerging players

• Muuto: Danish contemporary design brand with Scandinavian lighting and furniture sold through premium design retailers. Overlaps in designer-led premium positioning and DTC channel but with broader home furnishings scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/8857401
• Instagraminstagram.com/grau
• Pinterestpinterest.de/tobiasgrau_lighting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tobias Grau