Art or Nature?

Where do top lighting designers go for creative inspiration - art or nature? We asked 10 leading professionals to share with us their insights on the unexpected places, artworks, and natural phenomena that spark their most innovative ideas.

Keith Bradshaw

Speirs Major

The use of light across all art forms is a constant source of interest whereas light in nature is a source of awe and inspiration. Light in the arts elicits subjective response whereas natural light is objective, universal and a unifying element across humanity. It is bigger than our biggest creations and attuned to our physiology. The arts offer us humanities’ insights and interpretations whereas nature is limitless and incomprehensible; sometimes simple and calming and other times psychedelic and mesmerizing. In simple terms, our work is all about chasing after the same experiences and emotions that natural light inspires within humanity.

Terence Woodgate

Studio Woodgate

Art is a massive influence on my work. As I’m more influenced by subtraction than addition, I don’t add decoration for the sake of it, but I am interested in material texture. Therefore, artists like Carl Andre, Donald Judd, Ben Nicholson, Eduardo Chillida and Rachel Whiteread are just some of the artists that inspire me.  Sometimes while in a gallery looking at art I have a strong desire to get back to the studio and work. It’s not that I have necessarily seen something that has had an immediate effect, it is just that I am enthused to create my own work. That said, a beautiful sunrise always lifts the spirits!

Dean Skira

Architectural Lighting

Inspiration often finds me in unexpected moments—images appearing in my mind seemingly out of nowhere. While nature and art can spark creativity, my process begins with a clear challenge that occupies my thoughts. The Genius Loci — the spirit of a place — guides me. As a lighting designer, I draw inspiration from the unique essence of a specific object, piece of art, architecture, or landscape. Whether it’s the way light moves across a building’s façade or how shadows bring life to a sculpture, it’s this connection to the environment that fuels my creativity, transforming fleeting moments into meaningful, illuminated stories.

Chiara Carucci

Noctua

Natural light inspires me, continually renewing my creative energy and vision, but it’s also a key part of how I communicate with clients. Describing a lighting effect through familiar natural phenomena - my favorite is komorebi, the Japanese word for how sunlight filters through leaves - creating an instant understanding. Both my clients and I can share images of aranyhíd, Hungarian for the sun reflecting on water, or mångata, Swedish for the moon reflecting on water, to translate complex lighting ideas or goals into shared experiences. This mutual inspiration enhances clarity and engagement, giving deeper meaning and purpose to design choices.

Marcus Steffen

Akarui

I take great inspiration from artwork since art and light are intrinsically linked. Rothko is a master in the combination. On the face of it, his pieces are simple blocks of color, but with the right light, and time spent looking at them, the subtle layers and drama are revealed. One exhibition that I return to time and again is the Seagram collection in the Tate. It was originally commissioned for the Seagram building in New York, on which Richard Kelly, a grandfather of lighting design, created the lighting scheme. The lobby is a triumph of design done in the 50s, and so it creates a beautiful cycle of light, design, and art.

Paul Beale

18 Degrees

I’m a keen runner and take on the London Marathon each year, which means training through the darkest depths of winter—often with my dog by my side. Some mornings, stepping out into the cold and dark feels like a battle. But persistence brings reward: a sunrise of pure gold, filling my heart and nourishing my soul. That warmth, that light—ah! Later, in the studio, I find myself talking about the transformational power of light, and I’m taken back to that moment. How it looked, how it felt, what it did. Light changes everything.

Deepu Raj

LET Design Lighting Consultants

Nature played an important role in my journey from smalltown dreamer to established lighting designer. The interplay of light and shadows, with elements of nature, gave me the inspiration to begin. My surroundings were abundant; from vintage gadgets to mystical lamps illuminated for temple festivals, to brightly colored fruits and flowers, and the scenic beaches and mountains. And to not consider the art and rich culture that added fuel to my passion; the vibrant celebrations and traditional art forms were equally important. Together these components shaped my transformation into a renowned lighting designer and guided me in the formation of LET Design.

Mary Rushon-Beales

Lighting Design House

Sorry to sit on the fence but I’m equally inspired by nature and art! ‘Light is the child of art and nature’, and I find it hard to separate one from the other. It’s great to embrace the glorious strength and power of natural light, its unpredictability, its unexpected colors, but this can be tempered by an artist’s vision. I remember discussing techniques for a glass exhibition and the team said: ‘there are 10 ways to light glass – and eight of those will be right’. I worked with Dawn Bendick who made light – natural and artificial – inherent in her work. Her pieces respond totally differently to natural light and the particular light source.

Poonam Mehta

Senior Lighting Designer, Studio Lumen

My inspiration comes primarily from nature. Shaped by my time living in Australia where I split my life between a rural country farm and coastal Sydney. This expanded my connection to the natural environment, observing the way light shifts throughout the day, filters through trees and reflects off the water - all influencing my work.

In my practice, I strive to translate these organic experiences into built environments, using contrasts and layers to create beautiful spaces and experiences. Nature's rhythms are a constant source of creativity in my work.

Susan Lake

Susan Lake Lighting Design

I’ve always found inspiration in nature, the dappled sunlight filtering through trees, the vastness of the starlit night sky, or the way natural light interacts with architecture. In Japan, the contrast between serene gardens, dense bamboo forests, and futuristic cityscapes deeply influenced me, as did the minimalist interiors, where daylight is an integral part of the design culture. Visiting the Guggenheim Museum in New York, I was struck by how light played across the undulating forms of the building. I’m also inspired by sci-fi films such as Ex Machina, Blade Runner, and Star Wars. The way cinematography uses light to evoke emotion, especially in Star Wars, where it reinforces good and evil, resonates in my work.

Vinod Pillai

Partner and Design Director, Studio Lumen

Our work is deeply inspired by nature, which serves as both a reference and a guiding force in our designs. Unlike artificial creations, natural environments have a profound and lasting impact on people, offering a sense of comfort and connection. As designers, we strive to bring order to our work, yet nature itself is rarely orderly - its beauty lies in its inherent symmetries and unpredictability. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity, pushing us to explore the nuances of natural light and its effect on human perception.

By studying how nature influences us geographically and demographically, we gain a deeper understanding of human interaction with light, allowing us to create designs that really push boundaries.

David Robertson

DHA Designs

When I was a teenager, I saw my first West End shows: Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. It marked the beginning of the era of big budget musicals with extravagant designs — moving barricades, flying helicopters — all enhanced by brilliant lighting by David Hersey. I learned that even in an epic production, lighting was an essential storytelling tool, directing the audience's focus and evoking emotion. I can still remember a single exquisite cross-fade in Miss Saigon to this day. Within ten years, I was working with David’s company, DHA Designs, using these techniques to bring drama, narrative, and intimacy to museum lighting.