NULTY'S YEAR IN HIGH"LIGHTS"
As we hurl towards 2018, we thought it was only right to look back at 2017, and re-visit some of Nulty’s highLIGHTS, things that have brightened up our year, and also hopefully yours.
It’s been a big year for us. We have opened one new international office (Beirut), seen seven in-house promotions, gained 12 new team members, had 100 projects completed and witnessed 44 games of office ping pong played…
Nulty has projects running all over the world, but this year it’s been two schemes on our London doorstep that have been extra special. First up… Leake Street Arches. This has a special place in our hearts because the iconic graffiti tunnel is around the corner from our studio and many of us pass through it every day. If you haven’t experienced it, make sure you pay a visit this festive season, and don’t forget your spray paint. Next up is The Ned, which recently took home four wins at the AHEAD Europe Awards 2017 – including Hotel of the Year. London’s newest and most exclusive hotel and private members’ club opened its doors earlier this year and we’re extremely proud to have helped reinstate this prime example of architectural significance to its full opulence and glory.
Our team’s a chatty bunch and, as such, our blog is full of opinions and personality. This year we’ve covered topics about lighting memories, the importance of darkness in lighting design, the film La La Land, Lighting as a Service (LaaS) and much, much more. However, a few posts have stood out and proved particularly popular with our readers. Our Director, Emilio Hernandez, wrote an insightful piece on the “Lighting Design Process” differences between Europe and the UAE, and discussed the opportunities and challenges we’ve faced since opening our offices in the Middle East.
Kael Gillam talked about “Putting the Rep in Reputation” to highlight the important relationship between lighting designers and manufacturers’ sales representatives: the people who help make our concepts a reality. Also on the blog front, we featured a fantastic guest post, written by award-winning landscape designer, John Wyer. John talks beautifully about “Light Time & Landscape” and how designing with living organisms brings its own challenges.
Beirut became our latest Middle East outpost in 2017 when we launched our third studio, headed up by Associate Director Hala Nasrallah. And since its launch in early 2016, our Dubai studio has seen incredible growth; our new Beirut office will provide further support for our projects within the region and beyond.
A company like Nulty is only as good as the designers it employs. We are VERY proud of all ours, but 2017 saw some well-deserved promotions for team members Emilio Hernandez, Anna Sandgren and Evina Diamantara. Our intent to nurture and develop the best talent in the lighting design industry is a core part of our philosophy.
When it comes to awards, you’ve got to be in it to win it, and that’s what we did with Bloomingdale’s Kuwait. At the Light Middle East Awards 2017 we won “Retail Lighting Project of the Year” for our chic, clean and bold lighting scheme for this iconic luxury department store.
Our projects have not only captured the public’s imagination but that of magazine editors, too. Nulty has been featured in some high-profile newspapers and design magazines throughout the year: from Metro, Architect’s Choice and DesignCurial, to Time Out and Middle East Consultant. We still get butterflies seeing our designs come to life, and having them in print is the icing on the cake. If you’re not bored of me talking yet, make sure you check out this film of me talking light, snowboarding and, of course, Nulty.
We wish you all a bright and happy holiday!
