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Charming Relic Lighting Design Practice Nulty+ brings the disused Midland Bank building back to life, using some of the latest lighting considerations available and reinstating a prime example of architectural significance to its full opulence and glory. Images: Courtesy of The Ned

When Nick Jones, founder of Soho House & Co, first saw the disused Midland Bank building in London, he immediately fell in love. The property had been empty for almost eight years, but there was something about it – the details, the scale of it. Partnering with the Sydell Group to bring the building back to life, the 29,450sqm of space now offers a range of hospitality features including restaurants, bars and bedrooms. The lighting design from Nulty works to highlight the building’s iconic architectural trademarks from Sir Edward Lutyens and complement each individual space, while maintaining a consistent

design aesthetic. The lighting also works to provide a balanced level of light and colour temperature to suit all times of the day. “The design brief for The Ned was to make it feel as though it had always been an old, glamorous hotel,” says Rebecca King, Designer at The Ned. “In order to achieve this, we wanted the decorative lighting to feel collected rather than brand new; we used an eclectic mix of off the shelf, custom and vintage fittings that we purchased from the US, Europe and the UK. “The light fixtures were critical design elements in each space. In many areas, we took cues from existing lighting throughout the building to inform our stylistic choices.”

Commenting on the lighting brief, Evina Diamantara, Intermediate Lighting Designer at Nulty, told darc: “We worked alongside both Soho House and Sydell Group to bring their vision alive; this vision entailed the creation of a space that would be elegant and imposing. Following these principles, Soho House invested in decorative luminaires that would make an impression on first sight and as such, all architectural lighting would only be used to enhance and reinforce the identity of the design.” The converted banking hall features eight restaurants, divided by the building’s original listed walnut counters that line the entrance and feature authentic


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