Lighting designers rarely enjoy the freedom to develop a lighting concept for an almost bare apartment from the ground up—especially with a client willing to trust their vision. Thorsten Kußmack, architect and lighting designer, found himself in exactly this enviable position when commissioned to design the lighting for an apartment in Friedrichshain. By the time he began, construction had already progressed to the point where the electrical wiring was roughed in up to all outlets. This meant the lighting design had to work within these fixed positions; the concrete ceiling ruled out any additional cable runs.

The expansive living and kitchen zone, with its generous windows, inspired Kußmack to populate the space with pendant lights that reflect in the glass, visually expanding the room beyond its physical boundaries. Perched on the eighth floor with additional glass railings, the mirror effect becomes even more striking. This called for restrained, small points of light—anything larger would compete with the views after dark. He specified a custom luminaire featuring a white canopy. Nine groups of three pendant lights created a graceful effect of suspended drops. Each pendant height was calibrated on-site with the installation team—higher near the windows, lower in the seating zone, yet deliberately varied throughout. The kitchen employed the same fixture, suspended alongside the extractor hood. With its narrow beam angle, the light targets floor and tabletops while leaving walls virtually untouched. The light points continue their dance into the night, reflected in the windows. Two floor lamps complete the scheme, echoing the "sphere, eye, and lens" motif found throughout—a nod to the client's work in ophthalmology. These pieces bridge to the functional spotlights in the corridors and bedrooms, where adjustable lens spotlights are mounted at the fixed electrical points, precisely calibrated to their task. An interior window to the bath allows corridor light to spill through, its etched glass creating soft light traces on the floor—setting a calm, subdued mood in the bathroom.

www.lichtektur.de

Photography:
Lichtektur

(Featured in CUBE Berlin 04|24)