Light Matters is a modern Light experience store that is located in the heart of Chennai, on the way to the famous Marina Beach. The company was based out of Coimbatore initially, therefore the main challenge was to help create the identity of the brand through the interior and exterior of the showroom. The study and research behind each of the light fixtures formed the structure for our design. The panels and set-ups had to be specifically designed suiting each of the fitting itself.
Project Name- Light Matters
Studio Name: FOAID Designs
Design Team: Ekta Agarwal, Ar. Parul Agarwal VK & Ar. Niha Amina
Area: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Year: 2018
Location: RK Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Consultants: Mr. Rajan Bathija, Mr.Light, Coimbatore
Photography Credits: Venkat Prasad, Whencut.dop
Other Credits: Styling & Decoratives – Aura Home, Furniture – Featherlite
The showroom is designed in a manner that each light exhibit will guide the user/customer to the other, therefore allowing the user to constantly move around the exhibits/fixtures. It has a minimal style language bringing in glimpses of a few European showrooms, in order to co-relate with the specific European brands that the showroom holds. The idea was to create the feel of a high end light gallery enhanced by transitional movement. Light Matters is one of the leading Lighting showrooms in the city today. The zoning has been done in a clever manner that allows user to move around the full showroom as every inch of space has a story to tell, a texture to feel and light to guide them.
The team made use of metal in the form of Mild steel and colors in the material pallet as the key highlight elements to break the monotony of the space. This 1900 Sq.ft showroom has been thoughtfully curated keeping in mind the clients requirement for even the simple furniture’s and a variety of display panels.
Starting from the entrance, the show windows are enhanced with pastel colored pivoted panels that allow the fixtures to be viewed from several angles of the road. The location of the showroom is typically prime as this main high road connects the entire city to all the main government offices. The pastel colors are used as back drop for the lights so that the user can envisage the same in the different color contexts. The show windows are tied together by the central display wall, which consists of colored cubes jutting out of the wall that has been specifically designed for the “lamps” range of light fixtures.
The ground floor was projected as a more dramatic space with all the decorative & pendant lights, while the basement more minimal and simple for the commercial fixtures. The rafters on the ground floor are used as a key backdrop that follow a wave pattern inspired by the fixtures itself. This was the first element that we had planned to execute on site as it just seemed to fit in beautifully on the site. This also turned out to the most complicated and time consuming detail for the site at that time.
The Basement floor consists of all high end brands like FLOS, Hybec and Iguzzini making this showroom the first of its kind to hold such a large range of display. It has been divided into the outdoor section, commercial section and the VIP section. The outdoor section has a raw look where the idea was to play with cracks and bricks to represent the rawness of an outdoor setting. There are a few in-room set up’s that are used to display the family series of Lights.
A good retail outlet can build a long lasting relationship between the buyer and the seller. While the most frequently used material pallet has been used as a base for the fixtures which can help one visualize any scenario or space while selection. This also makes the user focus on the light more, which is important for their sales. Adding to this we incorporated scene settings for specific purpose of lights. A scene made for “a foyer” which can hold a range of light families to be placed inside the house. A picture and mirror wall, that show cases the different lights that can be used for the same purpose. The staircase has also been designed in a manner to display the different kinds of stair case light fixtures in specific. Each zone has been utilized to its fullest capacity so that the showroom can hold maximum variety of lights for the clients to display.
The VIP lounge/ the meeting room has a dramatic entrance with a showcase of a variety of LED strip light ranges. The idea was that the user should be able to touch, feel and see every fixture with utmost convenience before they confirm their purchase. After this showroom, we have now become lighting specialists for light showroom designs where our team is designing 5/6 light showroom for another brand in the coming year.
When I go into a gallery and stand in front of a painting, I don’t want someone telling me what I should be seeing or thinking, I want to feel whatever I feel, see whatever I see, and figure out what I figure out.
– Our concept and theory for Light Matters in a snippet.
