Antumbra Lighting Design: The Quiet Influence of Light

With over two decades of experience illuminating boutique hotels, luxury yachts, and international public spaces, Damien McKay, Partner at Antumbra Lighting Design, has shaped how architecture is experienced through light. In this opinion piece, he explores how lighting is not merely a complement to design, but its defining medium, transforming materials, guiding emotion, and giving architecture its true meaning.

‘What if the most influential element in a space is the one we don’t see? We talk about architecture, materials, colour and texture as if they alone define design. Yet without light, none of them exist in the way we intend. Light is not simply what reveals space – it is what gives it meaning, atmosphere, and emotional resonance.

Lighting design doesn’t just illuminate architecture; it shapes how we experience it. Materials remain muted, textures flatten, and atmosphere is lost if the lighting is not considered with equal intention. Thoughtful lighting transforms architectural ideas into lived experience – guiding the eye, shaping mood, and supporting how a space is used and felt over time.

We often think of design in terms of the elements we can draw, build, and physically specify – form, colour, materiality, texture. Yet light is the medium through which all of these are perceived. A surface may be rich, a colour vibrant, a detail carefully crafted, but without the right balance of light, their depth remains unseen.

We spend months refining materials, finishes, and forms. We debate millimetres and obsess over details. But it is light that ultimately determines how these decisions are received. Without considered lighting design, even the most thoughtful project risks feeling unresolved. Light is not the finishing touch; it is the medium through which design becomes experience.

Early collaboration with a lighting designer ensures that the architectural intent carries through to the lived environment. When lighting enters too late in the process, we find ourselves compensating – solving problems instead of shaping atmosphere. When lighting begins early, it becomes a natural extension of the design narrative.

Light also tells a story. It creates hierarchy and rhythm, directing attention and shaping the sequence in which a space is experienced. It can draw focus to a crafted detail, soften a transition, or frame a view. In retail, it can elevate a product; in hospitality, it shifts from open and welcoming to intimate and atmospheric as the day unfolds; in residential, it supports daily rituals – energising mornings, quietening evenings.

The impact of light is not purely visual. It affects the way we feel, think, and behave. Natural and artificial light influence alertness, calmness, productivity, and emotional connection. An office with harsh uniform lighting can feel draining, while one with a thoughtful balance of natural light, task illumination, and softer ambient layers feels supportive. A restaurant bathed in warm, dimmed light encourages conversation; the same room under bright, flat light can feel clinical.

Lighting brings materials to life. Designers invest significant time in selecting surfaces and finishes, but it is light that reveals their depth. Techniques such as grazing and washing uncover texture, while accents create focus and define spatial layers. Carefully considered colour temperature preserves the integrity of colours; the right angle of light can make timber glow, stone deepen, or metal shimmer.

When lighting works, it rarely announces itself. Its success is felt rather than seen. It integrates quietly, enhancing architecture rather than competing with it. But this apparent simplicity is the result of intention: understanding context, user needs, atmosphere, and technical performance.

Next time you begin shaping a project – defining form, materials, flow and atmosphere – consider bringing lighting into the conversation early. The difference is often not about adding more light, but about seeing the space differently. When lighting design is part of the creative process from the start, it becomes a natural extension of the architecture, not something applied afterward. The result is a space that feels intentional, balanced, and emotionally whole.

Lighting is the final design layer – not an optional extra, but the medium through which every other design decision comes to life.

The success of a space is not measured by how much we notice the lighting, but by how naturally the space feels resolved. That clarity comes from intention, not accident. When lighting is integrated early and thoughtfully, architecture and interior design are strengthened; when it is left to the end, compromise follows. Light is not an accessory to design — it is the medium through which design is perceived. Recognising this is not just a shift in process; it is a shift in how we define design itself.’