When we were invited to work on the duplex apartment lighting for a Grade II listed building in one of London’s premier squares, we were excited. When we heard the interior designer was Monique Tollgard from Tollgard Studio, we knew that we would create a veritable visual feast together.
The property is traditional, with cornices, panelled walls, large original windows and doors and the clients wanted to add a contemporary flair with modern furniture and lighting. The magnificent duplex was linked with an impactful central staircase which emphasised the very high ceilings on the ground floor adding to the drama of the space.
We’re delighted that this project has won the International Design & Architecture Awards 2023 in the ‘Lighting Scheme’ category.
Associate Designer Sabrina Fiorina says the challenge was to design a creative yet flexible scheme without the use of downlights in the main floor areas where the ceilings were listed. In the reception room, the solution was a combination of decorative lights and integrated lighting to various pieces of joinery to provide a dynamic lighting design. The main joinery unit was designed by Carpentry Division and we coordinated the lighting integrated to units and shelves with both Tollgard and Carpentry Division to create the best effects. Sabrina combined 2700k Contour HD27 LED strip at the back of shelves for a dramatic effect. This was complemented with miniature Vorsa Dots to light artwork. Contour HD27 LED strip was also used above the unit to highlight the ceiling cornice ensuring this intricate detail is seen at night.
We felt it was key that the artworks were also illuminated at night. We selected our Wallace picture light to add sparkle to the art in the reception room, entrance and stairs.
All the beautiful decorative lights from table and floor lamps, pendant and wall lights, were selected by Tollgard Studio. The pendants, particularly added a huge amount of character and are the key features in the dining room, staircase and reception room. The architectural lights were selected to be very discreet, and concealed from view where possible. The purpose of the downlights is to add interest to the space by accenting fabrics and furniture. In the kitchen and bathrooms, they are used to provide task light.
The central feature of the dining room is the stunning pendant which fills the room with warmth and light. Lighting was supplemented with lighting in the joinery. Again we used 2700k Contour HD27 LED strip at the back of the shelves to light pottery and glass objects. It was concealed behind various downstands to avoid reflections on the mirrored panel at the back of the unit, to make it more visually comfortable.
In the adjoining kitchen, we selected a number of different architectural lights to supplement the striking pendant. Black Square Double 30s create a more contemporary look providing task light over the central island and to wash light down the front of the cabinets. This was complemented with a single Polespring 30 downlight to the top shelf and Contour HD27 LED strip to front-light the subsequent shelf and to provide further task light to the counter beneath the units.
With the clients liking of hosting cocktail parties and more formal dinner parties, we created a flexible lighting scheme to ensure they have the ability of changing the mood of space. Numerous scenes were created in each room to achieve this.
The images above show the power of hidden lighting. The flowers would have been lost without the cleverly concealed Vorsa 40 spotlight mounted on the side wall bringing them to life! This shows the little bit of magic where lighting design comes into its own.
Upstairs Polespring 40s were used in the bedrooms and bathrooms for general illumination. In the bathroom above, a Minim was used to illuminate each niche in this calming bathroom.
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Photography: Richard Gooding
