Design with light

Light is very important to you and to your work, so much so that you’ve decided to become a light designer as well as an architect. What does light mean to you?

N.A. Light is everything to me. The most important part of any moment has to do with light. It’s always so important, it’s not possible for me to live and not care about proper lighting. I mean, it’s not just a part of my job, it’s not just something that will naturally make what I do much more important, much more interesting. Without light architecture just doesn’t exist. I would argue that nothing is beautiful enough just to exist by itself. it is beautiful because it is lit in the way it is, and good architects make sure of that.

How does light fit into your design process? When do you think about light and how do you model or experiment with it in your design process?

N.A.The interesting part of the unique approach I employ is an acknowledgment that at the very moment I am designing, I am also creating light. It’s a very different awareness from thinking about creating a project and then calling someone in to light it. It’s a completely different process, which allows me to fully understand the reasons why certain volumes of light have been created. I have researched, defined and modelled them for a reason. I have created them to avoid certain problems or to cover up others. Therefore, I know that these volumes exist, how to manage them from every point of view, and how to take advantage of the characteristics of the materials that I know will be used in the project. 

So do you conceive the spatial aspect of your projects through light? When you imagine it, is there already some type of light?

N.A. Yes, this is a fundamental rule. When an idea comes, light is usually one of the strongest elements in the design as when you create something, you know how you will light it, you know how it will be lit in daylight, and you know how you can make it different at night using artificial light. It’s something you’ll know straight away, not later on. So, yes, when I create, I have a certain type of light in mind.

How do you define what type of light to include in your projects? Warm or cold light, diffused or sharp light,  neutral or artificial light. How deep do you go into the design process? 

N.A. After so many years now, this has become an instinct, an automatic impulse. I mean, it’s often to do with the mass, volume or material itself being created that will suggest the way it should be lit. A gradient effect or points of light to emphasise a certain feature - the right light is actually the right use of shadow. This is the light. If you respect this basic rule, then you know when to use diffuse light, when to use spotlight because you want or don’t want a particular shadow play.

Let’s talk about the your architectural project in collaborating with Simes, the Villa in Athens. How did you conceive the type of light for that project?

N.A. It’s a detached house, an old house that has been completely renovated and we can say that this was a project that came up at the right time because I’d just visited your showroom and came across the IP System®. At the exact moment I saw it, I imagined I would be able to use it to provide a kind of connection and continuity between the villa’s interior and exterior. I usually work on summer villa projects, and in this type of work the connection between the interior and exterior is generally very important for the success of the project and the proper functionality of the house. This connection is always necessary and the IP System® helps to achieve this.

Do you want to write space with light using  IP System®?

Learn more here about the first plug-in linear lighting system for outdoor and humid environments.