ACE January 2020

Lighting I I Industry Speaks
look and ambience in their living and commercial spaces.
And this becomes their ideal style of design. This trend
has been ongoing especially in the decorative lighting
segment.
As a light designer, does it kind of constrain your
freedom of creative expression when somebody is
telling you to duplicate or to create a replica?
A lot of clients ask for replicas but that’s something we
don’t do. One thing, what the studio does do is - based
on the input we try to gauge the clients requirement. We
embrace a design syntax keeping in mind the reference
provided and come up with a custom designed product.
This leads to the creation of a product which not only
caters to the clients design taste but is also exclusive. In
fact our studio is known for its exclusivity. Our custom
designed pieces have much to do with the reputation we
command in the market.
When it comes to designing lights for living and
commercial spaces, what is the difference?
With residential projects, aesthetics are paramount. And
functionality can be done in combination with technical
aspects being addressed. In commercial spaces, we have
to start with functionality and then work backwards to
make it more aesthetic. In offices, people spend eight
to ten productive hours a day, hence the lighting has to
be extremely functional for the user who’s using it over
there. When you go back home, you want the light to
The Loop Light installation for a restaurant in Andheri, Mumbai
create a very nice and warm atmosphere. Hence light
design in residences is more to do with aesthetics and
functional in commercial projects.
When it comes to residential and office lighting what
are some of the key aspects to look out for?
In office lighting one key thing to look at is the colour
temperature. Mainly there is no hue lighting in offices.
Certain colour temperatures are known to activate the
mind, so when white light is utilised in office spaces, it is
more or less 4,000-6,000 degree Kelvin. Likewise warmer
colours like yellow or slightly amber colours, have a
calming effect which helps the mind relax.
In residential spaces individual behaviour styles matter.
For example, if somebody likes to read a lot in the
bedroom, you can serve that purpose with a decorative
lamp or with a really slim spotlight. if one prefers a bit of
status and opulence in the space that’s where decorative
lights can also take over. So it boils down to the project
requirements in a way.
As a light designer, what are the different materials
you have flirted with to design your products?
We have been exploring with quite a few materials.
Initially our exploration led us to utilise copper, brass,
steel, including a lot of experiments with metal castings
and textures. Then it evolved into blown glass and cast
glass. Of late, we are also experimenting with sustainable
materials like bamboo boards.
The Umbrella Chandelier for a
residence in Hyderabad
Tell us something about your latest projects
We have recently finished a residential project in
Hyderabad and our client was extremely excited to use
our Shikhara hanging pendant lamp. It’s actually the
same light that which won a LIT award. The client had
designed the interiors herself and the way she built the
space to suit the Shikhara light, just felt like the space
was designed or stylised for the light itself. The light was
the first accessory to be finalised before a final call was
ACE UPDATE January
ARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
2020
37