Lighting designers at Paul Nulty have won the 2013 Lighting Design Award for their innovative work on Superdry's flagship store on Regent Street in London.
The retail outlet has been lit to a slightly brighter level than other competing stores to ensure that customers have a comprehensive view of the merchandise, WorldInteriorDesignNetwork.com reported. An ambience similar to that of a club has also been achieved by designers implementing starkly contrasting lighting effects. This was realised by using narrow-beam ceiling spotlights mounted onto tracks.
In addition - and in order to keep costs to a minimum - eco-friendly LEDs have been used to light display cabinets and shelves, giving an effect rather like in a jewellers shop where vitrines are illuminated by twinkling lights.
To give the store a bit of edge, mannequins at the back of the central staircase are now lit up by spots, with heavier light fittings sourced from eastern Europe placed in between them. Searchlight-style lights recovered from the Suez Canal hang from the entrance hall walls to light up the signs there.
At the beginning of February, Lux Magazine reported how the same designer had completely revamped the Juicy Couture flagship shop on the very same street in the capital. For this project, designers used a very particular LED scheme across the space - incorporating the lights into shop furniture, joinery and the architecture, as well as reflecting the lights off mirrors to capture what was described as "the brand's flamboyant style".
Both projects are classic examples of how just a touch of ingenious lighting can completely transform a room - no matter how large or small - to create an atmospheric space with character and charm, fit for a particular purpose.
A retrofit lighting project does not necessarily need to cost a great deal of money and, furthermore, needn't be overly disruptive. Just replacing a few fittings here and there could not only immeasurably improve the quality of light in a room but it could bring the cost of energy bills right down, by choosing more energy-efficient solutions - a great deal of which are available on the market nowadays.
