PAST AND PRESENT CLIENTS
PAST AND PRESENT CLIENTS
JOURNAL
[d]arc sessions event, Portugal
MAY 2024
Earlier this month, Anna travelled to Portugal to attend [d]arc sessions on the Tróia peninsula, just southeast of Lisbon and Setúbal.
The event, from 14-16 May, brought together a select group of lighting specifiers (including us) and lighting suppliers for speed-dating-style one-on-ones, panel discussions, talks and social get-togethers. The 20-minute one-on-ones (better than they sound!) took place in a single space, allowing us to see lots of different products side-by-side, who was developing what, and the latest trends.
The atmosphere had a more intimate feel compared to the likes of Light+Build, Frankfurt, or LiGHT, London. While these big events have their place, it was refreshing to explore products and build relationships (new and old) in a more personal and tailored environment.
Photography by Gavriil Papadiotis.
New Project with Ab Rogers Design
FEBRUARY 2024
We’re thrilled to be designing the lighting scheme for the much-loved yoga studio, Love Supreme Projects, on Golborne Road in west London, as it goes through a renovation project headed up by Ab Rogers Design.
As a former church, the space is an architectural delight, so design interventions will be mindful of maintaining the integrity of the building. Control of the lighting will be key, as well as creating an intimate setting in the larger spaces. We can’t wait to see the transformation of this well-known location into the studio’s permanent home.
Photography Love Supreme Projects.
Keynote Speaker at Light + Intelligent Building, Dubai
JANUARY 2024
We headed off to sunnier climes this month to attend THINKLIGHT, MENA’s leading conference on lighting design and technology that forms part of the Light + Intelligent Building Conference in Dubai. As a founding member of the GreenLight Alliance (GLA), Emilio took to the stage as a keynote speaker and hosted a panel discussion (with a great list of industry leaders) on ‘Enlightened Futures: Circularity’, which looked at sustainability and circularity in lighting design.
Building a community like the GLA still benefits massively from 'in-person' meetings. We were naturally reluctant to make the trip, for obvious reasons, but felt it was a worthwhile investment to grow the sustainable lighting community in the Middle East.
Planning Approved, Suncourt Essex
DECEMBER 2023
It’s great to hear that planning has been granted for this beautiful rural home on the Essex coastline. We look forward to working on this sustainable project alongside Fieldwork Architects and, as part of the first stage, developing a lighting scheme that works harmoniously with the contemporary interiors. For more on this project, head to Fieldwork Architects’ website here.
Render by Fieldwork Architects.
‘We Who Rebel for Light’ Event, Stockholm
DECEMBER 2023
On Friday 8 December, Rebel Light hosted a day of inspiring talks and seminars discussing everything from sustainability and light art to new innovations and products. Fresh from an overnight train journey from Umeå, we attended the event and were honoured to moderate a debate on ‘The status of circularity in lighting’, with a panel including: Dave Hollingsbee (Stoane Lighting), Rob van Brunschot (Signify), Rickard Lundell (Rebel Light) and Andrew Kilborn (Orluna).
Thanks to Rebel Light (and the sponsors) for organising a great get-together and continuing to shout about circularity in the lighting industry.
Private Office, St James's Square, London
JUNE 2023
In collaboration with Ab Rogers Design, we’re excited to work on a private office in the heart of St James’s. We’ve been tasked with creating the perfect lighting conditions for a prestigious office environment. The deep-plan space is flooded with daylight from one side, so the challenge is ensuring that as day transitions to night, the space feels visually interesting with sufficient light levels.
Render by Ab Rogers Design.
CPD at BIG Architects, Copenhagen
MAY 2023
We had a great visit to BIG architect’s headquarters in Copenhagen this month with Louis Poulsen to talk about sustainability and lighting procurement/specifications. The renowned Danish practice values the pooling of knowledge from different fields to inform their designs, and we had a really engaging discussion and answered some excellent questions about effective strategies to help reduce waste and the carbon footprint of the lighting that the practice specifies.
If this type of CPD seminar sounds of interest and you’d like to know more, get in touch here.
Photography BIG Architects.
A trip to the IceHotel – Lighting Journal
MAR 2023
Last year, we were invited to the IceHotel in Northern Sweden for a ‘pre-opening’ site visit to get an insight into how to design for such a unique space. The venue was cold, but the hospitality was definitely warm and welcoming. It was a real privilege to understand more about this fascinating annual build, which takes place alongside the Torne River in Jukkasjärvi.
We wrote about our behind-the-scenes tour of the site in Lighting Journal. Some pressing questions were put to the hotel’s lighting designer, John Petterson, and we met up with artists in the midst of creating magic out of an icy blank canvas.
If you are as intrigued as we are by the must-visit hotel, have a read of our article here.
New Project with Morris+Company
DECEMBER 2022
We’re very happy to share that we’ll be working with Morris+Company on the Huntingdon Estate project in Shoreditch for Blue Coast Capital. For the highly anticipated mixed-use workspace opposite Shoreditch High Street Station, we’ve been asked to design lighting schemes for the public areas, including the ground floor reception, two entrances, the lift lobby, as well as the roof terraces on floors seven and nine.
More details about the project can be found here.
Photography Morris+Company.
Superloos at Selfridges
NOVEMBER 2022
Across the London department store, 14 new ‘superloos’ have been introduced for staff and customers that are gender-neutral, single-occupancy and self-contained. The blueprint for the washrooms was developed by FDArchitecture to provide private, comfortable, flexible and inclusive spaces – and, of course, we were very pleased to help with the lighting!
The simple yet stylish loos in Selfridges are complemented by strategically placed lighting details that wash vertical surfaces and provide flattering and practical illumination levels.
Photography FDArchitecture.
Darc Awards 2021 Judging Panel
FEBRUARY 2022
We were delighted to have been asked to join the panel of judges for the 2021 [d]arc awards, despite the somewhat daunting volume of quality entries. There are some exceptional projects, but we'll keep shtum until the results are out!
Beach House, Jersey
NOVEMBER 2021
The earthy tones and natural materials of this enviable beach house make it a joy to work on alongside Fieldwork Architects. Appointed as the lighting designers, we’re creating a scheme that draws inspiration from Luis Barragan’s use of shadow and light and is deliberately minimal in design. For more on the private residence head here.
Render by Fieldwork Architects.
Observations from a New Region
AUGUST 2021
We have been bustling away in the north of Sweden for about six months, and after some record-breaking snow during winter, we’re through mid-summer and into days of perpetual daylight. So here are a few, perhaps obvious, observations from our initial months in a new region (new to Emilio that is, not Anna!).
Photography by Johan Jansson.
Creative Design Podcast
NOVEMBER 2021
In this episode of The Curious Creatives podcast, Daniel Knox, head of product design at Wrexham University and Steve Jarvis, also from Wrexham University, sat down with Emilio to talk about his journey from being a product design student to co-founding a lighting design practice. The conversation covers starting a business (in the pandemic!) and what that involves (good planning), sustainability in the lighting industry and setting up the GreenLight Alliance (a circular design initiative), plus much more.
If you’d like to listen to the conversation, click here.
Sustainable Summer House, Sweden
JUNE 2021
Using innovative materials and solutions that have minimal environmental impact was the aim in building this shore-side dream home for clients Anja Pärson and Filippa Rådin (who are household names here in Sweden). We were excited to be part of the design team and developed a lighting scheme in line with the ethos of the build. Anja and Filippa documented the sustainable project from start to finish on their YouTube channel – you can follow their journey here.
Render by Varg Arkitekter
We have been nominated!
JUNE 2021
We're incredibly honoured (and humbled) to have been nominated for an 'Initiative Award' in
this year’s Women in Lighting (WIL) awards. Thank you to our fellow team members at the GreenLight Alliance for your efforts, too – we’re all in this together!
Heritage House Renovation, Hampstead, London
MAY 2021
Heritage renovation projects like this one in North London are fantastic to work on because they’re steeped in history. The lighting scheme we’ve created for this residence is therefore respectful and interventions have been kept as minimal as possible.
The focus is on decorative lighting and traditional artwork lighting, and discreet architectural light fixtures. The Californian and Japanese influence throughout the property and the quality of the interiors and materials remind us why we love what we do. For more on Fieldwork Architects’ amazing project head here.
Photography by Peter Landers.
Global Gathering Event: A Talk about Circular Lighting
MARCH 2021
We were thrilled to be invited to speak at the Women in Lighting (WIL) Global Gathering. This virtual event celebrates International Women’s Day and connects the lighting community from all corners of the globe. We’re grateful for the opportunity to raise the profile and objectives of the GreenLight Alliance – an initiative that we co-founded alongside like-minded people in the lighting industry to promote circular economy principles in lighting design.
If you missed the talk and would like to watch it, a recording is available here.