Celebrating a milestone
Fifteen years of Nulty has been quite the rollercoaster ride.
We set out with a mission to be more than a lighting design practice, and to push boundaries. Looking back, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
From our early, award-winning projects for brands such as Superdry, Nike and Harrods – thanks to the vision of our founding team of Ellie Coombs, Dan Blaker, Dan Gray and Phil Copland – to our breadth of work today, every scheme has presented new creative and technical challenges. Meeting those challenges is still one of the things I love most about what we do.
Fifteen years on, our work spans retail, hospitality, workplace, residential, public realm and masterplanning. We refuse to be confined to a single sector or way of thinking, which keeps us fresh and encourages us to cross-pollinate ideas between sectors. I like to think that inventiveness and resourcefulness are part of Nulty’s DNA as a result.
The growth of our team has been equally rewarding. We are now truly international, with a wonderful mix of ideas, perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. The greatest source of pride for me is the people within our studios, because our whole industry is built on collaboration and relationships. Knowing that we’ve played even a small role in so many careers is amazing, and watching those designers go on to establish their own studios or thrive at other practices is something we celebrate.
I’m also proud we’ve achieved all of this while staying true to our original pledge to be ambassadors for light. People are much more aware of the importance of light, and there are more specialist lighting design practices than ever before. Yet lighting design is still sometimes overlooked and undervalued. Raising the profile of our discipline is ingrained in our approach. If anything, we’re more committed than ever to champion the value of our profession.
Whilst it’s been encouraging to see our industry grow, success has brought extra challenges. Competition is stronger than ever, which, combined with the growing cost of retaining talent, makes running a consultancy more difficult. Every bid feels harder to win, and the realities of overheads aren’t being reflected in fee structures. It only reinforces why we need to continue demonstrating the value of great lighting design.
No one wants me to dwell on the global pandemic, but it was without question the most difficult period of the past fifteen years. I’m proud of how we pulled together as a team. We stayed connected and focused on sharing knowledge through webinars and virtual roundtables. As sectors were forced to reinvent themselves, we also responded by rethinking our approach to design.
On a personal level, I remain humbled by it all. I still see myself as a boy from a seaside town who just worked hard, so seeing the Nulty name on a drawing alongside a leading architecture practice still blows my mind. The scale and calibre of the projects we’re fortunate enough to work on is something I don’t take for granted. It keeps us passionate and reminds me how privileged we are to work in such an inspiring industry.
I’m also not afraid to admit that running a consultancy is hard work – especially as we’ve grown. I’ve learnt a great deal about running a business as we’ve established new studios, and it’s helped me grow as a leader, a businessperson and an individual. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by some very smart people who are not afraid to question my thinking, share the load and help us make the right decisions.
As we celebrate fifteen years of Nulty, we find ourselves amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty, particularly across Europe and the Middle East. But our experience gives us the resilience and confidence we need to keep producing great work, supporting our clients and investing in our people.
Team Nulty is what it’s all about. We want to create a culture built on exceptional training that enables people to fulfil their potential. If a designer leaves us and looks back proud to have been part of our journey, and feels they learnt a few things along the way, I’ll happily take that.
