The modest set of garage doors outside this East London residence and workshop hides a beautiful renovation, completed by the owners with Wilton Studios Architects and Adam Lloyd Construction in 2020, and now shortlisted for the Architects Journal Retrofit awards.

A garage / workshop was converted into a new living and dining space. Initially, the fact it has no traditional windows provided a conundrum- after all no one wants a kitchen without light. However, a courtyard with a glass roof at one end of the space provides a pool of light, and clever use of Lucent products has really enhanced and enlivened the room.

The original ‘bones’ of the garage are hinted at in the iron beams arching across the ceiling; each one conceals a row of Lucent Dynamic Tuneable white ProStrip, which can be tuned from 5000K to 2000k. These lights provide a wash of colour for the whole room and set the atmosphere. In the day time, the white light perfectly mimics daylight, meaning the room feels light and airy, despite having no traditional windows. This type of lighting is particularly important for a living space – it has proven scientific effects on the mental health and well being of the occupants. In the evening, the tone is lowered to create a softer, quieter mood for the room that is cosy and calm.

In addition, an exposed row of Gimbal Downlights with LED50 One Tuneable White modules were added as functional downlights, used to spotlight the workspaces, but they also tune at the same rate as the other LEDs, so that the tone of room is always the same. These are controlled via a Casambi Bluetooth system. This has been programmed with wellbeing in mind – the residents have this programmed to mimic the full spectrum of natural light from sunrise to sunset.

The light transitions align to our own circadian rhythm - meaning that whilst the residents enjoy the positive effects that has on their well being (light being so effective on mental health) they are so natural, they barely notice the changes around them.