Header: Michael Stavaridis
“Car Collector’s Compound” is the name given to a private residence in Atlanta, Georgia, that was developed by Summerour Architects and interior designer Joel Kelly in collaboration with Orsman Design, responsible for the lighting design. Such lighting design actually earned the project a prize in the LED Interior Lighting Design category at the LIT Lighting Design Awards.
Lighting the merchandise
The brief given to Nathan Orsman, the lighting designer, was focused on lighting a private car collection while also complementing the building’s industrial materials. The garage space has exposed steel beams and board-formed concrete walls, so linear uplighting was placed along the I-beams to draw attention to the ceiling structure and create a continuous look. The objective? To distribute light evenly while leaving the main display floor clear of overhead fixtures.
Along one side of the garage, a recessed grazer was built into the floor to light the concrete wall from below. This approach created a gradient of light that brings out the material’s texture without overwhelming the space.
All fixtures used in the project are LED, and the designer decided to add dimming systems to precisely adjust the illumination when needed. By doing this, Nathan managed to balance the visual needs of the client with a focus on long-term energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
