From Harlem to SoHo

The Subtle Power of Light at Sartiano’s 

By Randy Reid

Photo Credit: Ryan Fischer 

An oyster lunch at New York’s Grand Central Oyster Bar with legendary designer Paul Gregory last December led to an invitation I couldn’t pass up –a visit to Focus Lighting’s Harlem studio. I was welcomed by Brett Andersen, Principal at the firm, and Jazzy Pedroza-Watson. I simply expected to learn about a few upcoming projects or lighting trends. What I didn’t expect was to leave with a deeper appreciation for a company that treats lighting not as an accessory, but as a language—and speaks it with fluency and intention.

The bar glows softly, balancing intimacy and sophistication in Sartiano’s subterranean setting.

As Brett walked me through their design process and the culture that drives it, one project he mentioned in passing stuck with me – a new SoHo restaurant called Sartiano’s.

At the time, it was just a quick aside. But that name—and the curiosity it sparked—led to a followup zoom call, where I uncovered yet another chapter of Focus Lighting’s creativity. What began as a studio visit turned into a deeper story of how this team continues to redefine how light shapes space and experience.

So rather than writing two stories, I’ve chosen to share one: the story of a company whose culture and process shine through whether they’re lighting a science museum or a subterranean wine bar.

Lighting That Starts in the Lab

Focus Lighting’s headquarters is unlike any studio I’ve visited. At the heart of their space is a massive, two-story black-box lab. It’s here that they prototype nearly every lighting detail before a single fixture is installed in the field. Mockups, hoists, mirrors, and every dimming system under the sun—Lutron, Crestron, you name it—are at their disposal. “We don’t just design on paper,” Brett told me. “We prove it works first.”

Dramatic uplight and soft table glow flatter every guest on the more intimate side of Sartiano’s.

That mindset is central to their process. During our time in the lab, we talked about everything from lighting control to VR integration to AI as a tool for early visual exploration. “It’s not designing for us,” Brett clarified about AI. “But it helps us visualize and communicate quickly. That’s a huge win.”

Mockups aren’t just internal tools—they’re essential for client trust. And it was that same rigor and client focus that later helped shape Sartiano’s.

Our conversation opened with the story of the iconic Times Square Ball—a project that changed the trajectory of Focus Lighting. Originally conceived as a six-foot sphere adorned with Waterford Crystal, early prototypes fell flat when viewed in color. “You’d see the LEDs through the crystal, and the color blending just wasn’t there,” Brett recalled. The solution? A mirrored baffle positioned between the LEDs and the crystal, helping diffuse the light and separate the triangular facets for better individual control.

The restaurant’s name glows softly—your first glimpse into a world shaped by light.

Focus didn’t stop there. Working closely with Waterford, the team pushed the glassmaker to cut facets on both sides of the crystal, doubling the sparkle and visual impact. “They thought we were crazy at first,” Brett laughed, “but once they saw the result, they were in.”

Programming became the next frontier. With a canvas of thousands of LEDs, Focus designed an hour-by-hour lighting narrative starting at 6:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Every hour had its own theme, building to a crescendo at the midnight drop. “It was a global stage. We had to get it right,” Brett emphasized.

Enter Sartiano’s: A Brick-and-Mortar Expression, with an Emphasis on Brick

During our studio tour, Brett casually mentioned Sartiano’s, a new Italian fine-dining spot in the Mercer Hotel. I made a mental note. Later, we scheduled a zoom call to dig deeper—and I’m glad we did.

Sartiano’s, designed in collaboration with Studio Sofield, is a masterclass in atmospheric lighting. Set below street level in a 130-year-old building, the project posed immediate architectural limitations: low ceilings, landmarked brick, and minimal opportunity for overhead fixtures.

Sartiano’s, designed in collaboration with Studio Sofield, is a masterclass in atmospheric lighting. Set below street level in a 130-year-old building, the project posed immediate architectural limitations: low ceilings, landmarked brick, and minimal opportunity for overhead fixtures.

Focus Lighting’s solution? Light the surfaces, not the space.

The distance between the source and the wall had to be perfect for the wall washing to be successful. 

“There’s a lot of light,” Brett said, “but very few visible fixtures.” Acolyte RibbonLyte tape light was used to graze textured brick walls, and the balance was painstaking. “Too close to the wall and it created a giant hotspot, but too far from the wall would cause the restaurant to lose valuable table space,” he explained. They mocked it all up in the Harlem lab before a single inch of tape light hit the walls.

Adding to the visual sleight of hand were dark mirrored columns that amplified light and created the illusion of more space. In a room with 9-foot ceilings, every inch mattered. Every beam of light was sculpted for maximum warmth and intimacy.

Even the vaults—original sidewalk openings that let in slivers of daylight—were left intentionally unlit by electric sources. “The ambient city light was enough,” Brett said. “Sometimes restraint is the best design move.”

Two Zones, Two Vibes

The restaurant is divided into two experiences, a north side near the kitchen that’s vibrant and theatrical, and a quieter, more romantic southern half. Lighting played a critical role in establishing those moods.

Gauzy pendants were used to obscure the kitchen. This photo is taken from the kitchen looking out to the seating.

For the north section, large gauzy pendants diffuse light and obscure the kitchen hustle, offering energy without chaos. The pendants act like filters, providing a soft glow while concealing less desirable views. “We didn’t want the open kitchen to steal focus, but we didn’t want to hide it either,” Brett explained.

The table lamps provide uplight as well as downlight on the table.

On the south side, Vision3 accents and Neoz Victoria battery-operated table lamps create intimacy. “Those lamps, with uplight and downlight, put out just the right glow across white tablecloths,” Brett told me. “It flatters faces. Everyone looks good—and that’s not a small thing.”

The ceiling in Sartiano’s is low—around nine feet, maybe just a bit higher—which presents a unique lighting challenge. With such limited vertical space, traditional overhead lighting strategies were off the table. Instead, the team leaned into architectural features to bring the space to life. The marble bar, for example, is beautifully illuminated both from above and below, with light gently grazing the wrapped brick that surrounds not only the bar but nearly every wall in the room. This approach helps distribute ambient light while also ensuring the subterranean setting feels anything but cave-like. Thanks to these techniques, the space feels warm, textured, and inviting.

This philosophy ties into the overall concept developed by interior designers Studio Sofield, who envisioned the restaurant as a modern take on a Tuscan wine cellar—cozy, elegant, and glowing with character. To bring that vision to life, the lighting team focused on surfaces that could emit a subtle, welcoming glow. Shelves and liquor risers behind the bar are softly backlit, making the bottles appear to glow from within. These glowing surfaces aren’t just visually appealing—they also reflect light back into the room, enhancing the atmosphere and reinforcing the idea that every inch of the space is intentionally, artfully lit.

Path and banquette lighting were executed with precision. Underneath the seating, Acolyte tape gently lights the brick perimeter without being obtrusive. Each lighting element was tested and aimed to preserve a cave-like coziness while preventing the space from feeling closed off.

Another highlight was custom-lit niches showcasing wine and sculpture. “They’re little jewel boxes,” Brett said. “They help punctuate the space, so your eye moves through the room rather than just settling.” The wine showcase reminded me of the lighted bookcase at Zero Bond—another Focus Lighting designed venue which we wrote about in the August 2021 issue

Lighting Technology and Control

Like most modern hospitality projects, Sartiano’s is entirely LED. But convincing client Scott Sartiano to abandon halogen wasn’t easy. Brett and team tested 2200K, 2400K, and 2700K temperatures in the lab. “Scott was worried about losing warmth,” Brett said, “so we put the options in front of him.” 2400K won out—offering the right warmth without compromising dimming control.

Downlights from Zaniboni were chosen for their minimal aperture and clean beams. All fixtures are managed by a Lutron HomeWorks system— normally a residential solution, but in this case selected for its app-based simplicity. “Scott can manage Sartiano’s and Zero Bond from the same phone app,” Brett said, grinning. “It’s convenience meets control.”

Several lighting scenes are preprogrammed for different times of day and events. From brunch service to dinner rush to private late-night events, lighting can be adjusted with a single tap. Focus also added a manual override function—ensuring staff could fine-tune the mood without calling in a technician.

The Bar: Where Light Becomes Sculpture

Perhaps no area reflects the team’s artistry more than the bar. Layers of lighting come together to create a stunning visual anchor. A backlit onyx surface glows softly beneath drinks, while tape lights illuminate shelves of bottles from behind, catching their colors and contours.

At Sartiano’s, guests have the option to rent personalized wine lockers, allowing them to purchase and store bottles on-site for future visits. Great care was taken to ensure the lighting showcased both red and white wines beautifully. The lighting team spent considerable time in the studio refining the placement and effect of the lighting elements, recognizing that bottle presentation would play a key role in the guest experience.

Customized lighting enhances the appeal of the Guest Lockers. Focus Lighting experimented with different lighting scenarios in their lab.

Originally, the wine supports were designed to sit close to the cabinet doors, but early tests in the studio revealed that this setup caused the bottles to appear dark, as the lighting couldn’t reach them properly. In collaboration with Studio Sofield, the supports were pushed back to expose the necks of the bottles, allowing for better illumination.

This adjustment not only improved the visibility and appeal of the wine but also provided flexibility for guests to store additional bottles toward the front. A slim line of lighting was then discreetly installed behind each glass door, ensuring the labels and glass caught just enough glow to sparkle without glare.

Mockups, Commissioning, and Craftsmanship

Everything—shelf lighting, bottle displays, even how light reflected on glassware—was mocked up multiple times. “We’d bring it all into the lab and test beam angles, finish colors, and spacing,” Brett said.

Commissioning was equally exacting. Brett and his team were on-site, aiming fixtures, making adjustments, and responding to last-minute surprises. In one case, a mirrored service station unexpectedly reflected the downlights, requiring last-minute filters. “You plan everything, but the real world always throws something new at you,” Brett said.

Despite the complexities, the result is a space that feels cohesive, immersive, and effortless. “Lighting should never feel like a layer on top of the design,” Brett said. “It should be the air the design breathes.”

Full Circle: From Times Square to Sartiano’s

If Sartiano’s is about intimacy and texture, the Times Square Ball is its polar opposite: scale, spectacle, and global visibility.

But the creative DNA is the same. It’s the same team that convinced Waterford Crystal to cut both sides of a facet for the Times Square Ball. The same team that mocks up every beam before it reaches the client.

It’s that culture—a culture of curiosity, craft, and control—that ties everything together. Whether they’re lighting a spaceship exhibit in Los Angeles or a vaulted wine room in SoHo, Focus Lighting brings the same rigor to every detail.

Thanks to thoughtful lighting choices, extensive collaboration, and a little tech-savvy flexibility, Sartiano’s achieves something rare: a fine-dining atmosphere that’s equally suited to quiet conversation or celebrity-spotting. “When you walk down the stairs and look across the room and see three people you recognize from TV, that’s exactly the vibe Scott wanted,” said Brett. "It’s intimate, but it buzzes."

Mission accomplished.

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