The light fantastic

Cast your eyes around this super-luxe apartment and it positively glows with warmth. It’s the latest refurbishment of a central London residence by design and property development specialist mdesign, and there’s a secret weapon that contributes to its spectacular interior – its lighting. But don’t expect fancy metal finishes and gold bezels, because what you see is architecturally-integrated lighting with barely a trim in sight.

These most hidden of light fittings are part of a range offered by Whitegoods – no ordinary lighting company, according to its director, Douglas James.  “What sets us apart is that we offer a range of fittings designed to give a minimal look,” he explains. “What you’ll see is the light, not the light fittings.” James is director of both Whitegoods and its sister company, Mindseye, an architectural lighting design consultancy. 

 “We set up Mindseye 11 years ago to offer lighting services to architects and interior designers,” he explains.  “Then we realised that we couldn’t find the kind of fittings we wanted, so we started making our own. That’s how Whitegoods was born.”

The fittings are designed to be fixed into the ceiling before the plaster is applied, with a range of options, including cove coffers, 100mm and 60mm square downlights, and 100mm square floor wash fittings. “It means you don’t register that there’s a light fitting – all you see is an aperture and the light that comes out of it,” explains James. Compare this to the metal surround and obvious bulb of a standard downlighter, for example, and the difference is immediately apparent. “We produce our range to appeal to the architectural and design community with a taste for the most minimalist feel,” continues James. 

“We called the company Whitegoods to reflect the simplicity of the product. It’s not a design statement, but a functional object designed to disappear.”

It was precisely this architecturally-integrated look that appealed to Georgina Wood, head of interior design at mdesign. “I wanted lighting to provide warmth and glow in the rooms to set the scene, but not to clutter them up, so these virtually seamless fittings are ideal,” she says. Her challenge in creating a ‘wow factor’ apartment with a spacious feel from an “eight bedroom rabbit warren” was considerable. Down came several internal walls, out came the dated interior, and in came a total re-design to make the most of 3850sq ft of lateral space. “Our aim was to create really large, luxurious rooms with a sense of flow to the layout,” explains Georgina. The apartment now has interconnecting reception, dining and media rooms which can open up into a 57ft entertainment space, plus a deluxe kitchen and 30ft entrance hall, as well as five bedrooms with five luxury en suite bath or shower rooms. It sold before completion last autumn for ‘near its asking price’ of £12.75m.

Stephen Sellar, co-founder and director of mdesign, believes that both kitchens and bathrooms are very important in the selling package of a property. “We spend a huge amount on the design of bathrooms, giving them  ‘wow’ and making them different, providing an experience like going to a spa,” he says. “For kitchens, we create a bespoke design for each one because we want people to walk in and know they have never seen anything like it before.” 

The stunning rooms of this apartment have a custom-made Zircote veneered kitchen, finished with bespoke polished chrome handles, walls of polished plaster pitted with silver mica, and a mirrored splashback. The whole room is given a bright and welcoming feel with a coffer ceiling lighting panel, and additional task lighting is provided by 100mm squares. 

“The look is designed to be classic with a luxurious edge, and lighting adds a twist of warmth and stops the room looking cold or sterile,” says Georgina. 

Lighting is also used in the master en suite to highlight the rich tones of the chocolate-coloured Maurent Laurent marble cladding and white gold mosaics, while a cove coffer in the guest shower room creates a skylight effect. The result is a sophisticated finish with a difference. 

“Each interior we produce must be different to others we’ve done before,” says Stephen. “We’ve got to keep setting the benchmark.”

» Don’t worry too much about how the ceiling looks, think about where the light is needed, such as over the counter top

» A variety of lights on different circuits can be used for mood-enhancement, so, for example, you might want a panel for plenty of light in the morning, with a couple of downlighters to change the mood in the evening

» Consider scene-setting for an open-plan space with multifunction use. A lighting control system will allow you to create a mood for different tasks or events, such as breakfast, a dinner party or cooking

» Think about grouping downlighters creatively, for example, two fittings in one corner and two in another 

» When considering task lighting, think about the shadows being created – you don’t want to be in shadow at the sink, so either put the fittings directly over the surface or either side of the sink

» Get creative by using colour-changing light in a bathroom or kitchen to make the room feel magical