Holland Park is a residential family home located in London. This was a large-scale project, that required careful planning on design and budget. Originally a block of 12 flats, this major refurbishment was spread over six floors, including a sports hall, bar and gym in the basement, home cinemas and playrooms, reception rooms and family rooms up to the bedrooms and bathrooms to create one large residential home.
“ The bold and fun designs created by the interior designers, combined with the extraordinary dimensions of the rooms allowed Light House Designs the rare opportunity to explore the lighting in such a way that is not often viable.”
The lighting interior and exterior for this home was completed by an independent, London based company, Light House Design, who are currently celebrating the success of their shortlisting at The International Design and Architecture Awards 2018 for their lighting design at Holland Park. The brief for this project had to engage in the design of the house as a whole yet look at the character of each room individually. The family wanted to utilise every part of the building and create a real sense of ‘home’. The bold and fun designs created by the interior designers, combined with the extraordinary dimensions of the rooms allowed Light House Designs the rare opportunity to explore the lighting in such a way that is not often viable. On entering the basement either from lift or stairs, the floor stretched from one end to the other, only broken by Crittall walls, which allows the guests to see the space in its entirety. To unite the space, Light House Designs introduced a slot detail lit with LED Tape at each end. This in turn gives the sports hall a subtle interest in what would otherwise be a comparatively plain space. For the bar area, Light House Designs created a light box. Here, the challenge was to create a uniform glow without any shadow on the mitered joints. The bottles seem to glow from within and, as it is dimmable, you can still find a drink whilst watching a film! In the central lobby, Light House Designs back lit the wine racks using the Applelec Light Sheet. With the diagonal design of the wine racks and the play of light and shadow, it becomes a piece of art. The cinema room, dark and moody, Light House Designs used black downlights to
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light the shutters and give a pool of light to the centre of the room. Wall lights prevent overhead glare when watching a film. The kitchen, dining and conservatory area was very much a flowing space. The light levels and colour temperature had to be the same throughout to ensure the areas seamlessly blended together. This had its challenges for the designers, as there were a number of steels and roof lights on different planes, so working closely with the architects, Light House Designs configured false beams and slot details in order to achieve accurate positions for the light fittings. There are several types of light fittings and lighting details on this project, yet rather than conflicting they hold their own and bring all aspects of the project together. The front and back garden were beautifully designed which was a vast improvement on what was there before. The exterior of the building is now back in its original state so blends in seamlessly into the wider environment. Light House Designs believe that the design works so well because of the fantastic collaboration between the design team. Speaking about the awards, Joanna Mann, Founder and Director at Light House Design Ltd commented “it is important to recognise the designs and ideas that are being produced. It is such an exciting world and the awards bring together people in the industry and give them the recognition they deserve”. Light House Design are renowned for their design which takes in both practical and visual considerations. They believe that if lighting is used effectively, it should be recognised as a significant element within the overall look and feel of an interior design project. They aim to create a lighting design that offers an innovative and inspirational space for the property owners. Holland Park is a notable example of effective lighting design as technical sophistication has been demonstrated to create a bespoke and stylish lighting scheme for the home owners. Throughout the property, the lighting has enabled the house to harmonise and highlight the additional elements of the design, allowing a transformation of a space at a switch of a light.