Header: Bahaa Ghoussainy
The 100-year-old residence Dar Zefta, originally built in 1911, just received an award-winning revamp in the form of a lighting design. After the structure was restored following fire damage, Black Box was commissioned by the current owner to create a lighting scheme that emphasised the building’s arches, textures, and surrounding landscape without overpowering its historical character.
The team chose compact uplights from Phos, a London-based lighting brand to illuminate the arched openings and stone detailing. These fixtures were selected for being small and managing a high light output, allowing them to remain discreet while delivering focused illumination. Beam angles and intensities were adjusted through multiple tests to ensure the light accurately traced the arches, revealed the carved stone ceilings, and evenly washed the rear wall without much glare.
On the remaining façade, a combination of spike-mounted projectors from Exenia was used to introduce a layered lighting effect. These lights are hidden among existing vegetation, which creates shifting shadows across the walls. To decide how many fixtures should be added, the designers focused on ensuring that the facade wouldn’t take up much energy or space, as the objective was always to give a subtle spotlight and not crash the visual balance of the street. The result? There were 13 uplights and eight spike lights, 9W and 6W, respectively.
In 2014, a fire ravaged Dar Zefta, threatening the history of a 100-year-old architectural gem conceived in 1911 by Hussein Beik El Darwiche with the help of Italian and Oriental Architects.
Thanks to Simone Kosremelli, an architect and urban planner, the house was restored using durable, natural materials, bringing the garden inside the house and prioritizing natural light.
Its current owner, Bahjat El Darwiche, hired Black Box to bring life at night to the façade’s vast history and intricate details.
To illuminate the arches, uplights from the London-based brand Phos were chosen due to their small size yet powerful light. The optic was carefully selected to highlight the arches and the ornamented stone ceiling and wash the back wall.
To achieve the desired effect, the beam angle and intensity had to be tested and retested countless times.
For the remaining walls of the facade, a dramatic play of light and shadows coming from bushes and trees was achieved with spike projectors from the Brand Exenia.
