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MORE THAN A PASSION

Nulty is a nimble yet mighty lighting design practice, consisting of what we’ll modestly refer to as “the best, most dedicated and creative designers around”.

If you decide to visit us at our London HQ or our offices in Dubai, Miami, Bangkok, Pune, Bengaluru, Lisbon and Singapore you’ll see what we mean: we’re a bunch of unique individuals who all work closely together, bouncing ideas around and coming up with some thoroughly high-five-worthy lighting design concepts as a team.

You know those clichéd stock photos of a group of coworkers looking like they’re having the world’s best time as they gather around a flipchart? Our meetings are genuinely quite like that – except the lighting in our office is better.

Collaboration extends far beyond our office walls
We’re never the only ones working on a given design project: there are architects, interior designers and engineers too – not to mention the people who actually own the space and have a vision for it.

In our eyes, a design project is only a true success if everyone involved believes their ideas were heard, understood and considered before any decisions were made. At Nulty, we consider it our duty to work just as hard on collaboration and understanding as we do on our own architectural lighting design schemes: the final creation will be infinitely better as a result. 


“Lighting has almost nothing to do with fixtures and fittings, and pretty much everything to do with creating the right sort of atmosphere.”

— Paul Nulty, Founder


The “final result” should NEVER be about the lighting
Lighting design has almost nothing to do with fixtures and fittings, and pretty much everything to do with creating the right sort of atmosphere.

That’s why we always focus on the way you want a space to be experienced – not whether you prefer chandeliers to spotlights, or have a specific “contrast ratio” in mind.

Good planets are hard to find…
We’re not shy about delving into new lighting design approaches that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Energy efficiency, light pollution and environmental impact come high up on our list of concerns, and we continually test our designs for innovation, buildability, maintainability, longevity and affordability.

Our attitude and approach set us apart
Our work ethic and enthusiasm – combined with our creativity and technical knowledge – have given us a prominent position in the industry. We’re known for being easy (might we even say fun?) to work with, and as people who consider our work a vocation rather than a job.

But enough about us…
Get in touch, tell us a bit about you, and we’ll take it from there!

Our collaborative process

Creativity should never be quashed, but it does need to be managed and guided in the right direction. That’s why we follow The RIBA Plan of Work: its linear process gives us the freedom to become fully immersed in new lighting design ideas, while simultaneously keeping us in check and ensuring we’re constantly benchmarking our ideas against the brief, budget and programme.

This process also supports one of our most important founding principles: collaboration. As you’ll see from the diagram, there are multiple stages where we stop, take stock and ask for input, ideas and feedback from others involved in the project – architects, interior designers, engineers and building owners, among others.

It’s important that we hear from everyone and learn about their needs and visions too, and we consider it our duty to work just as hard on collaboration and understanding as we do on our own design schemes. Teamwork always leads to infinitely better results.

We constantly review and refine because we believe that better results aren’t just apparent in the look and feel of a space, but also in the way that it operates and functions.

Our process also has a very happy impact on finances: by regularly (and rigorously) testing the costs of each project against the design, it’s possible for us to keep a close eye on the budget and make sure we get maximum value for money.


Lighting Design Process
STAGE 1
Preparation & Brief

Our opportunity to help develop the client brief and gain an understanding of the project.

STAGE 2
Concept Design

Where we collaboratively come up with conceptual lighting ideas.

STAGE 3
Developed Design

Where we start to expand the ideas into a buildable design, and test the budget and brief

STAGE 4
Technical Design

Completing the drawn design work and coordinating with the design team.

STAGE 5
Construction

Helping with project management, procurement, and overseeing the contractor.

STAGE 6
Handover & Closeout

Snagging, setting up the control and lighting systems, and seeing the space come to life through the clever use of light!

Awards

Lighting Design Awards 2024

Lighting Design Awards 2024

Dezeen Awards 2024

Dezeen Awards 2024

WIN Awards 2024

WIN Awards 2024

The Brit List 2024

The Brit List 2024

Build Back Better Awards 2024

Build Back Better Awards 2024

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2023

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2023

Commercial Interior Design Hospitality Awards 2023

Commercial Interior Design Hospitality Awards 2023

  • Highly Commended
  • Best Use of Lighting in an F&B Project
  • Atmosphere
Light Middle East Awards 2023

Light Middle East Awards 2023

Middle East Consultant Awards 2022

Middle East Consultant Awards 2022

  • Shortlisted
  • Lighting Design Consultancy of the Year
LIT Lighting Design Awards 2022

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2022

Design Middle East Awards 2022

Design Middle East Awards 2022

Commercial Interior Design Awards 2022

Commercial Interior Design Awards 2022

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Build Back Better Awards

Build Back Better Awards

Darc Awards 2021

Darc Awards 2021

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2021

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2021

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2021

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2021

Design Middle East Awards 2021

Design Middle East Awards 2021

  • Shortlist
  • Best Lighting Company of the Year
Design Middle East Awards 2021

Design Middle East Awards 2021

Light Middle East Awards 2021

Light Middle East Awards 2021

SBID Design Awards 2021

SBID Design Awards 2021

Middle East Consultant Awards 2020

Middle East Consultant Awards 2020

  • Shortlisted
  • Lighting Design Consultancy of the Year
LIT Lighting Design Awards 2020

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2020

Commercial Interior Design Awards 2020

Commercial Interior Design Awards 2020

Identity Design Awards 2020

Identity Design Awards 2020

Dezeen Awards 2020

Dezeen Awards 2020

  • Longlisted
  • Architectural Lighting Design
  • Vedanta
Middle East Consultant Awards 2019

Middle East Consultant Awards 2019

  • Shortlisted
  • Lighting Design Consultancy of the Year
Darc Awards 2019

Darc Awards 2019

Darc Awards 2019

Darc Awards 2019

Light Middle East Awards 2019

Light Middle East Awards 2019

Light Middle East Awards 2019

Light Middle East Awards 2019

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2018

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2018

Middle East Consultant Awards 2018

Middle East Consultant Awards 2018

  • Shortlisted
  • Lighting Design Consultancy of the Year
Darc Awards 2018

Darc Awards 2018

Light Middle East Awards 2018

Light Middle East Awards 2018

FX Awards 2018

FX Awards 2018

CID Awards 2018

CID Awards 2018

New London Awards 2018

New London Awards 2018

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2018

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2018

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2017

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2017

Middle East Consultant Awards 2017

Middle East Consultant Awards 2017

  • Shortlisted
  • Lighting Design Consultancy of the Year
Light Middle East Awards 2017

Light Middle East Awards 2017

Light Middle East Awards 2017

Light Middle East Awards 2017

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2017

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2017

Darc Awards 2017

Darc Awards 2017

WIN Awards 2016

WIN Awards 2016

BCO Awards 2016

BCO Awards 2016

FX Awards 2016

FX Awards 2016

Lux Awards 2016

Lux Awards 2016

  • Shortlisted
  • Office Lighting Project of the Year
  • Berghaus HQ
Lux Awards 2016

Lux Awards 2016

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2016

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2016

Darc Awards 2016

Darc Awards 2016

FX Awards 2015

FX Awards 2015

Lux Awards 2015

Lux Awards 2015

Darc Awards 2015

Darc Awards 2015

Lighting Design Awards 2015

Lighting Design Awards 2015

Lighting Design Awards 2015

Lighting Design Awards 2015

Lighting Design Awards 2015

Lighting Design Awards 2015

Lux Awards 2014

Lux Awards 2014

FX Awards 2014

FX Awards 2014

SBID Design Awards 2014

SBID Design Awards 2014

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2014

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Lighting Design Awards 2014

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2013

Retail Week Interiors Awards 2013

Lighting Design Awards 2013

Lighting Design Awards 2013

Energy Awards 2012

Energy Awards 2012

  • Highly Commended
  • Lighting Specifier of the Year
Lux Awards 2012

Lux Awards 2012

  • Highly Commended
  • Lighting Design Practice of the Year
Lux Awards 2012

Lux Awards 2012

Lighting Design Awards 2012

Lighting Design Awards 2012

Educational seminars for the delightfully curious

When we’re not working with light, we’re talking about it… and that’s pretty much all we do in life, to be honest.

You see, it’s really no understatement to say that we have an unquenchable passion for anything to do with lighting design, and we’re keen to pass on that passion – alongside our expertise and creativity – to others.

Our CPD seminars are for architects, interior designers, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors and other consultants who want a better understanding of what we do and how we might work with them in future. We’ll also happily give seminars to anyone who’d like to broaden their knowledge of lighting design and the built environment.

Below are our most popular CPD seminars. If you’d like us to create a customised seminar just for you or your company, get in touch and let us know!


Painting With Light
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If you’ve ever wondered why you look horrendous in some photos and wonderful in others…
Or how a simple room can make you feel happy, in awe, excited or relaxed…
Or how retail stores create an atmosphere that feels welcoming and non-threatening…
Or what lighting designers consider when they create a lighting concept for a space…

Then this unique and exciting seminar is perfect for you and your team.

You might simply want to increase your understanding of how light can be used and controlled – or perhaps you’re keen to learn more for your professional development. Either way, you’re going to come away with reams of insights and knowledge – not to mention a newfound appreciation of the wonders of light.

What we’ll cover
Over the course of an hour (shorter if necessary!), we’ll romp through a thorough introduction to the concept of light and how lighting designers make the most of it.

You’ll learn:

• What light is and how it’s perceived
• How light is applied in art, film and architecture
• How to compose a good lighting scheme
• How architectural lighting designers work
• The pitfalls of lighting: what can go wrong
• How technology is evolving – and what we have to consider as a result


For more information and to book a seminar, fill in the form below.

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The Rules Were Meant To Be Broken
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It’s an understatement to acknowledge that there are LOTS of rules around lighting design and lighting engineering. And for good reason: there’s no point in having beautiful lighting if it falls on someone’s head, pollutes the environment or annoys the heck out of people who live nearby. But sometimes, these rules go ever so slightly overboard – to the detriment of just about everything.

An efficient lighting scheme may well be low energy, for example, but it might not necessarily be beautiful or help to create an emotional connection between people and their environment.

As experienced, resourceful lighting designers, it’s our job to wade through all the regulations and figure out how we can work creatively within their restrictions – finding ways to create lighting designs that are stunning, innovative and people-friendly. (And yes: occasionally we need to bend the rules a bit too.)

What we’ll cover
Over the course of an hour or so, we’ll look at how it’s possible to adhere to lighting regulations without swapping creativity for box-ticking or drab, mundane designs.

You’ll learn:

• What the current rules, regulations and guidelines are
• Current “best practice” guidance (LEED, BREEAM, SKAR, Eco Homes, Part L, and BS, etc.), and how to gain credits
• The pitfalls of design regulations if they’re taken to the extreme
• How to apply lighting design regulations sensibly, while maintaining a people-centric design approach


For more information and to book a seminar, fill in the form below.

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The Dark Art Of Retail Lighting
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Didn’t you hear? The high street is dying! No one needs to leave the house to go shopping anymore: they just order what they need online.

The physical stores that continue to thrive are those that have turned “buying something” into a real experience. Not just “pop in, find the product, buy it, leave”, but “walk in, feel something about being there, and experience a connection with the brand”.

Lighting has a key role to play in creating this emotional connection between the customer and the brand – and we can point to hundreds of examples where our designs have created visual and emotional environments in retail stores.

If you want to know how we do it, our seminar gives away all the secrets!

What we’ll cover
During our hour together, we’ll discuss how to approach retail lighting design for the new, “experiential” form of retail store.

You’ll learn:

• The key considerations when it comes to applying light in a retail store
• The importance of lighting when creating a brand and environment
• How the high street can thrive once again – as long as we help customers connect emotionally to a brand through design


For more information and to book a seminar, fill in the form below.

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Light Time Economy
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The night-time economy is booming. But then it’s hardly surprising: it’s often the time of day when people have the most leisure time. 

This is great, yet as passionate lighting designers it can be frustrating because external lighting legislation relies on the quantity of light rather than the quality. And that’s just wrong. 

Not everything has to be lit. Darkness is important too so it’s about finding the right balance. It’s our job to place as much emphasis on the un-illuminated as the illuminated, but there’s still a long way to go in getting all stakeholders on board.

What we’ll cover
Over the course of an hour we’ll look at the very important relationship between lighting design and the public realm at night.

You’ll learn:

• How light can totally change the perception of a space
• The merits of considering façades and vertical surfaces as backdrops
• How using alternative ways to illuminate spaces creates interesting and intimate environments
• About the importance of visual hierarchy
• Why lighting should be considered at the master planning stage


For more information and to book a seminar, fill in the form below.

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Bright Ideas For Project Managers & Lead Consultants
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The title of “lighting designer” means something different to everyone who encounters it. We often get asked what it is we do and how we do it so we decided to put together a seminar to answer exactly that.

Lighting design really isn’t a dark art so why not learn more about it? In return we’d like to learn from you. How can we do things better? What can we do to foster a better process?

This seminar is most definitely a two-way conversation. Let’s have a dialogue and not be demagogues!

What we’ll cover
During our hour together we’ll tell you what lighting designers do behind the scenes, our involvement in projects and what we strive for in a relationship with clients, consultants, and project managers.

You’ll learn:

• The basics of light and how it affects people
• What a lighting designer does and how we add value
• How our fee-writing process works
• How and when we get involved
• How we integrate into the wider design team
• The ins and outs of design deliverables
• About the tender period
• What can be done to foster a better process
• About the grey areas: what falls in and out of scope and where it goes wrong
• Lessons learned: good and bad

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CONTACT US!

To book a seminar or find out more, simply fill in the form on the left. We’ll get back to you soon!

More than a brochure

MORE PROJECTS, MORE PHOTOS, MORE INSIGHTS

Our beautiful, glossy brochure contains all the details on our favourite lighting design projects, as well as more information about us and how we work.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
FIND OUT MORE
To learn more about us and our award-winning work, order our brochure
Request a brochure