18/06/2026
When reinventing old building stock, spaces are often repurposed for uses very different from their original function: think of the lower floor of a Victorian house, once occupied by servants and marked by poor lighting and ventilation, or the rear courtyards, austere, utilitarian spaces deliberately hidden from the refined interiors above.
Natural light is important, but artificial light is equally important.
The lighting technology has evolved enormously since the gas lamps of the Victorian era, redefining the everyday experience of those who use these spaces.
In our Lexham Gardens project, for instance, we turned the rear courtyard into a gym extension, giving it an entirely new role within the broader hospitality programme hosted in the Victorian building: here, lighting addresses two distinct needs, directional and energising in the training area, softer and more controlled in the surrounding spaces.
Every building carries the memory of how it was once used, and every new brief asks us to listen before we redesign.
This is exactly what happened with the Society of Genealogists, where we recycled part of the existing fit-out: the previous lighting was reused for general and desk lighting, while decorative lighting now highlights the book displays, organised along long lit shelving that enhances the user experience.
