A House, A Stair, A Harp

Lighting as Sculpture and Atmosphere

This project explores the intersection between bold visual illusions and the client’s desire for minimalism and spatial clarity. Lighting plays a central role in mediating this duality—accentuating architectural gestures while maintaining a calm, cohesive atmosphere across the home’s three levels.

In the living area, the base of the stair melts into a sinuous wall element behind the sofa. Here, soft ambient lighting tucked within the curve adds depth and warmth, blurring the boundary between object and space. The interplay of transparent and opaque materials in the stair railing is accentuated by directional lighting, creating a shifting relationship between light, object, and viewer—reminiscent of how one might observe an art piece in a gallery.

Discreet linear fixtures highlight the blue-painted ceiling and mirrored skirting boards, creating soft, ambient glows that enhance the sense of calm and visual lightness in the bedrooms. In the top-level office, sculptural pendant lights and concealed under-sill lighting define material transitions while maintaining a minimalist aesthetic. Throughout the home, lighting fixtures act as spatial tools—sculpting surfaces, guiding movement, and reinforcing the architecture’s poetic clarity.
The project "A House. A Stair. A Harp." received the BIG SEE Interior Design Award 2024, recognizing its innovative fusion of optical illusions and minimalist design.