STUDIO HINGE

310 sq ft I completed I Marine Drive, Mumbai, India

Studio Trace completed the lighting design for Studio Hinge, an award winning architecture and interior design practice based just off Marine Drive in Mumbai. 

 The lighting is designed to provide maximum visual comfort and minimal glare to the inhabitants - the principal architect and his 8 staff. The challenge was to design and execute the lighting design for the office in a month, all during covid. Quick design studies, multiple lighting mockups and material studies later, we were on our way. 

 The lighting design responded to different conditions in the studio in different ways. The principal architect’s cabin faced west and had lovely natural light filtering into  the space through a foliage of trees. At dusk, the beautiful hues of the dramatic sunset skies could be seen. The lighting design kept the focus on the natural light, adding only functional light where necessary - soft cove lighting for the whiteboard and pinups, and semi-recessed spot lights which can turn and pivot in any direction to focus on the constantly changing studio artwork. A playful pendant lamp with  customised bulb casts a warm glow on the back painted yellow glass table - careful care was taken to avoid harsh reflections on the highly polished glass surface. 

 The main working space outside the main cabin had no windows or view. To prevent the space from feeling cramped and depressing, the entire ceiling was designed to be an indirect light source, similar to a cloudy sky over a city. The distance within this backlit false ceiling was carefully modulated to ensure enough bounce light passes through to the work area below. 

 The individual work stations had additional accent lighting on the felt boards and table tops. This was achieved by selecting the correct profile light and LED source which was then carefully concealed within the carpentry to avoid seeing the fixture. 

 Cheap and cheerful bracketed lights clip on to the open bookshelves to cast a warm cozy glow after the sun goes down. The hidden surprise is a projector which casts a playful lighting element into the space for informal gatherings after work hours. 

Team:

Lighting design: Studio Trace Interior design: Studio Hinge Photography: Ishi Sitwala