In 2000, Jaime Calderon had a vision: to create a product that was simple, reliable, and ready to meet the demands of a growing design community. That vision became Decostring—a now-iconic lighting system that’s still proudly made in the USA and trusted by designers and architects across the country.

“It started with a really basic idea,” Jaime Calderon says. “The product was simple and reliable. We saw huge potential for it to be used almost anywhere—and Olive Garden was already ready to roll it out in multiple locations. That’s when we knew we had something.”

Lighting the Way for Primus

Decostring wasn’t just another product—it marked the official beginning of Primus Lighting’s journey.

“We had a customer ready to buy as soon as the product was ready,” Jaime Calderon explains. “It gave us the perfect opportunity to enter the market with something reliable, in-demand, and truly impactful.”

While the concept was straightforward, the early journey wasn’t without obstacles. Gaining ETL certification turned out to be more complex than expected—not because of the product, but because of how difficult it was to navigate the certification process itself.

“That part was frustrating,” Jaime recalls, “but it never shook our belief in the product.

Durable by Design

Over the last two decades, Decostring has evolved carefully but intentionally. It now features heavier cable, LED lighting, and a wider variety of shade options, but the foundational design has stayed true to its origins.

Its durability has been tested and proven in some of the most extreme conditions:

- Coastal areas exposed to salt and humidity

- The dry, scorching heat of Las Vegas

- Snow and freezing temperatures in New York, including the iconic Tavern on the Green in Central Park

“That install in Central Park is a great example of how long-lasting and rugged the product is,” says Jaime. “It’s been through so many seasons—and still looks great.”

Made in the USA—By Design

While many competitors turned to overseas manufacturing, Primus made the decision to keep Decostring 100% made in the USA.

“The market is saturated with cheaper alternatives from China,” Jaime says. “But the quality just isn’t the same. What we offer is custom, reliable, and truly built for design flexibility. That’s something imports can’t match.”

Keeping production stateside also supports jobs, enables custom specs, and ensures faster lead times for design-driven projects.

Installations That Inspire
Over the years, customers have surprised the Primus team with how creatively they’ve used Decostring. From Rodeo 39 Public Market in Stanton, CA—with its oversized clusters of shades—to a Dubai installation featuring shades made from 20,000 feet of raw copper wire, and Downtown Grass Valley where colorful umbrellas were hung as vibrant shades, the product continues to be a platform for bold, expressive lighting design.
“That’s the best part,” Jaime says. “Seeing what designers and architects do with it—things we never imagined when we started.”

Looking Ahead
Today, Decostring is more relevant than ever, continuing to show up in retail, hospitality, and public space projects nationwide. Its performance in extreme weather—heat, cold, humidity, and coastal conditions—has proven its reliability time and again. In fact, Decostring has undergone rigorous extreme weather testing to ensure it meets the highest standards of durability and performance.

With a new brochure and cut sheet now available, and more shade options on the way, the team at Primus is also looking ahead: actively exploring ways to further engineer Decostring for even greater durability, longevity, and adaptability in the most challenging environments.

“I’m just grateful,” Jaime adds. “The lighting community—designers, reps, architects—they’ve embraced this product from day one. That support is what’s kept it going strong for more than 20 years.”

Explore the latest Decostring options 

Download the new brochure or contact us to start your next custom design.