The Roll & Hill Modo 10-Globe costs about $600 to build. You pay $4,850.
A forensic breakdown of what your money buys in a Roll & Hill Modo 10-globe chandelier, and where the same modular-globe look is available for $999 to $1,200.
Fig. 1 · Roll & Hill Modo 10-globe, $4,850 retail · assembled Brooklyn, 14-16 wk made-to-order
The Roll & Hill Modo 10-globe retails at $4,850 with an estimated $480 to $730 cost, a 6 to 7x markup. The CNC-milled aluminum hub is genuine value-add; the 6.5-inch glass globes are commodity. For the interior-design trade, 80% of Roll & Hill's customers, the brand citation matters. For a homeowner buying once, it does not: Hinkley Alchemy ($999 to $1,159) covers the modular-globe look at about 20% of the price, and a used Modo on 1stDibs runs $1,200 to $2,500.
- The Roll & Hill Modo was designed by Jason Miller in 2009 and is assembled in Brooklyn at approximately 500 fixtures per year.
- The Modo frame is CNC-milled solid aluminum. Bronze and brass are finish options only, not the base material.
- The 10-globe retails at $4,850 with a 14 to 16 week made-to-order lead time.
- 80% of Roll & Hill's customers are interior designers and architects.
- A used Modo resells on 1stDibs at an average of approximately $2,025, ranging $858 to $7,137.
Where $4,850 goes
Estimated from commodity pricing for 6.5-inch blown-glass globes, CNC aluminum extrusion runs, E26 socket and wiring hardware, and Brooklyn skilled-labor rates. The split is directional. The conclusion is not: the fixture costs $480 to $730 to make; the rest is brand margin and dealer margin.
What you are actually buying
The modular spoke-and-hub system is genuinely elegant CNC engineering: clean junctions, hidden wiring, and a geometry that reads as precision work in person. That is a real thing. The made-to-order Brooklyn assembly means the fixture is configured to spec, stem length, globe count, finish, not pulled from a warehouse. For designers specifying for clients, the brand citation in an invoice also carries weight. Roll & Hill appears in Architectural Digest and Dwell; it is a name the design trade recognizes.
What you are not buying is a material premium. Aluminum CNC plus commodity globes plus E26 sockets does not total $4,850 in materials. The CNC hub is the only component that cannot be sourced off a Zhongshan shelf. The glass globes are standard commercial blown glass at $8 to $12 per globe. The premium is brand equity and design IP, which is exactly what the 80% trade-buyer base is paying for, and exactly what a first-time homeowner does not need to fund.
The markup over cost is approximately 6 to 7x. For context: the Hinkley Alchemy 8-globe at $999 to $1,159 uses real brass and UL listing and ships in stock. In most rooms, the visual difference is undetectable at conversation distance.
Transparency
4"Machined aluminum and glass" is accurate but vague. Glass source undisclosed. No cost breakdown. Brass finish is sold in a way that reads as brass-body to most buyers.
Value
4Approximately 6 to 7x markup. Hinkley Alchemy delivers 80% of the look at 20% of the cost. The premium is design IP and trade credibility, not materials.
Defensibility
6The spoke-hub geometry is distinctive and covered by design copyright. Brooklyn assembly and made-to-order config are real. Not $4,000 worth for most homes, but not purely a badge play.
Replicability
8Aluminum hub plus commodity globes plus E26 sockets is a replicable BOM. The Modo geometry is copyrighted; a non-infringing modular globe chandelier at $500 to $800 reads identically in most rooms.
The same look, four ways
The Modo's appeal is a modular-globe cluster with clean metal geometry. That category is well-covered at every price point. Here is where each tier lands, with honest tradeoffs.
| Tier | What | Price | The honest tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Same, cheaper | Used Modo 10-globe on 1stDibs, showroom liquidation floor models | $1,200–2,500 | The actual fixture. Buy used if the brand matters. No warranty; verify wiring. |
| 02 Spec-equal | Hinkley Alchemy 8-globe ($999 to $1,159), Hinkley Skye 18-globe ($3,022 to $4,254), Schwung globe cluster ($5,495+) | $999–5,495 | Real brass, UL listed, in stock. Slightly different hub geometry. Hinkley is the right call for most rooms. |
| 03 Factory-direct | Zhongshan Guzhen modular brass-rod globe cluster (distinct hub geometry, non-infringing) | $500–800 landed | Same category, commodity globes, custom globe count. Legal: do NOT copy Modo hub geometry. UL adds $1,500 to $3,000 NRE. Tooling $800 to $2,000 for custom profile. |
| 04 Visual match | CB2 Corvina, West Elm Sculptural 7-light ($499 to $799), Amazon globe pendants ($80 to $150) | $80–799 | Similar globe silhouette, mass-market finish quality. Fine for a rental or a transitional space. |
Real design IP, real Brooklyn assembly, priced accordingly. But the BOM, commodity glass, machined aluminum, E26 sockets, does not add up to $4,850. The premium is brand and design IP, which matters enormously to the trade and almost not at all to the homeowner buying direct. For the 95%, Hinkley Alchemy at $999 or a used Modo at $1,200 to $2,500 covers the category. Buy new only if the invoice line matters to you or your designer.
A modular globe chandelier at your globe count and finish, sourced direct. Tell us the room and we will send a sourcing brief.
Is Roll & Hill worth it?+
For designers where brand citation matters on an invoice, yes. For a one-time homeowner buy, no. Hinkley Alchemy at $999 delivers 80% of the look at 20% of the price. Buy a used Modo at $1,200 to $2,500 if the name matters to you.
Is there a Roll & Hill Modo dupe?+
Hinkley Alchemy ($999) is the functional equivalent with real brass and UL listing. West Elm Sculptural ($499 to $799) is the budget visual match. A Zhongshan factory-direct modular globe chandelier with a distinct hub geometry runs $500 to $800 landed, same category, non-infringing design.
Where is the Roll & Hill Modo made?+
Assembled in Brooklyn at Roll & Hill's Industry City workshop by approximately 12 workers. The glass globes are externally sourced; the supplier is undisclosed, likely Zhongshan, China, where commodity blown-glass globe production is concentrated.
Is the quality worth the premium?+
The machined aluminum hub is precise and durable. The globes are good commercial blown glass, not artisan work. The fixture will not fail, but Hinkley delivers a visually indistinguishable result in most rooms for about $1,000.
What is the Modo frame actually made of?+
CNC-milled solid aluminum. Bronze, brass, nickel, and black are finish options applied over aluminum. The frame is not solid brass despite how it is frequently described in design press. The brass look is a coating.