Lighting design, from concept to switch-on
You are building, renovating or opening a place, and you want its light to live up to its architecture. The studio takes charge of the whole lighting design: the concept, the technical study, the specification of the fittings, procurement, manufacturing follow-up, site work and fine-tuning at switch-on.
A single point of contact, an engineer by training, who also designs the pieces she cannot find in catalogues.
Villa and residence lighting
The lighting of a home is designed room by room: the entrance, the staircase, the living room, the kitchen, the bedrooms, the terrace and the garden. It changes what the house becomes in the evening, and what it is worth.
Villas and estates on the French Riviera and in Monaco, new builds or renovations, at Signature or Essentiel level.
Related projects: Domaine Californie, Cannes · 2,100 m² villa, Michurinsky Prospekt, Moscow · 2,400 m² villa in Calonge, Spain
Facade and architectural lighting
A historic facade reveals itself through its relief: cornices, pilasters, surrounds. A contemporary facade reads through its lines and materials. In both cases, the lighting must show the building without dazzling the street, and respect the switch-off and colour temperature rules in force on the coast.
The studio’s facade installations have run for more than ten years without a single failure: fittings chosen to last, precise optics, maintenance access planned from the first drawing.
Related projects: Hôtel Ballu, facade, Paris · Malaya Bronnaya 15 residential complex, Moscow · Villa at La Zagaleta, Spain
Gardens, landscape and pools
A well-lit garden can be walked at night without glare: the paths are guided, the trees gain volume, the pool becomes a calm surface. Landscape lighting shapes what you see from the house as much as what you walk through.
On the coast, the decree of 27 December 2018 prohibits lighting the sea directly and sets limits on colour temperature: the concept builds them in from the start.
Related projects: Private garden, “Villa d’Ore”, Régusse · Garden lighting, private property in Vence · Private estate garden, RIITA, Moscow region
Hotels, restaurants and bars
For a hotel or a rental property, the lighting atmosphere makes the photographs, the reviews and the room rate. A well-lit room photographs itself; a well-lit bar fills up.
The studio works during the seasonal closure, from November to March on the Riviera, to deliver a property ready to reopen. Four- and five-star hotels, boutique hotels, guest houses and high-end rentals.
Related projects: Hôtel de Berri, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris · Hôtel Ballu, facade, Paris
Boutiques and shop windows
In a luxury house boutique, every product is shown in its true colours — high colour rendering index, controlled R9 — and no reflection disturbs the window. This is the standard the studio has practised since 2003.
The same standard applies to a business with a budget and a schedule: boutiques, jewellers, showrooms, restaurants.
Related projects: Breguet boutique, rue du Rhône, Geneva, Switzerland · Tiffany & Co. boutique, Globus Zurich, Switzerland · Uliana Sergeenko, Four Seasons, Moscow
Artworks and collections
A painting, a sculpture or a collection calls for precise light: the right angle to avoid reflections, the right spectrum so as not to alter the pigments, the right level to protect sensitive works.
Galleries, museums and private collections: the studio has lit several, from boutique-museum to art gallery.
Bespoke luminaires and light sculptures
When no catalogue holds the piece that is needed, the studio designs and makes it: chandeliers, wall lights, lanterns, light sculptures, in plaster, patinated bronze, alabaster or glass.
Since 2026, a proprietary fabrication technology has put the unique piece within reach.
Related projects: Private villa, French Riviera: staircase light sculpture · Private residence K27, with Dmitry Velikovsky Studio
Engineering and controls
LEDs are specified at component level: chip brand, colour rendering index and R9, colour temperature, binning tolerance, lumen maintenance over time. Drivers, DALI and DALI-2 protocols and dimming scenes are written before the electrician arrives.
The studio delivers the power layouts, coordinates the technical trades (electrics, home automation, joinery, plastering) and plans for maintenance: every fitting remains accessible and replaceable.
The method, step by step
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01
Concept
What the place should become at night, in images and intentions.
1–2 weeks
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02
Study
Illuminance calculations, fitting layout, scenes.
1–2 weeks
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03
Specifications
Every fitting, every LED, every driver, every finish.
1–2 weeks
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04
Procurement
Consulting manufacturers in Europe and Asia, following up orders.
1–2 weeks
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05
Manufacturing follow-up
Prototypes, reference samples, quality control before shipping.
1–3 months
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06
Site
Answers for the installers, coordination of the trades, presence on site.
2–4 months
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07
Switch-on and fine-tuning
Aiming the fittings, programming the scenes, handover.
1–2 weeks
Signature and Essentiel
Two levels of service, with the same standards.
| Signature | Essentiel | |
|---|---|---|
| Properties | Villas and estates of €5–10 million and above, four- and five-star hotels, luxury house boutiques | Villas and houses of €1–2 million, boutique hotels, guest houses and high-end holiday rentals, boutiques, restaurants and shops |
| Nature | Exceptional projects, long cycles: monumental staircases, reception rooms, gardens, facades, one-of-a-kind sculptural luminaires | Shorter projects, with a defined budget and timeline |
Budget
The cost of lighting design depends on the floor area and the number of rooms, the standard required of the fittings (colour rendering, finishes, controls), the share of bespoke luminaires and the extent of the follow-up: study only, or study, procurement and site work.
The studio takes on projects with a lighting budget of at least €20,000 to €30,000. Its capacity is around twenty projects a year: every enquiry is read, and every project accepted is followed by Olesya herself.
Frequently asked questions
When should a lighting designer be brought in?
As early as possible. Light is designed at the same time as the space: on my best projects, I come in at the layout stage and the choice of materials, because my role is not only to place light sources, but to advise the architect or decorator on the materials, their reflections, their nuances and the way they will shape the atmosphere and the contrasts of the place. Coming in early also means a smooth build: the wiring and the recesses are planned in advance, and no one runs out of solutions at the end.
Do you work with my architect and my electrician?
Yes, with your architect, your interior designer or your contractor, whoever they are. I have worked with some of the most renowned architects, from Dmitry Velikovsky Studio to Aleksey Morozov, and on concepts by Philippe Starck and Rena Dumas. My work brings out their architecture through light. For the installation, I work with your electrician or suggest my own partners: the choice is yours.
Do you work in Monaco and Switzerland?
Yes. I work in Monaco, where several lighting concepts I developed for luxury houses, such as Breguet, are installed today. Switzerland is also part of my story: Breguet in Geneva, Tiffany & Co. in Zurich. I am glad to travel to both countries.
Can existing lighting be improved without starting again?
Yes, always; how far depends on the installation in place. I have carried out this kind of work several times: my technical knowledge, from drivers to electrics and home automation, lets me get the most out of what already exists. When I propose a scene or an atmosphere, I already know what is technically possible and how to achieve it.
Will my luminaires be compatible with my home automation?
Yes. The electrical side of the luminaires I design or specify adapts to your installation: to your home automation if you have it, otherwise to your existing system. I make sure there is no conflict between the fittings, the drivers and the controls, so that everything fits into your project.
Who takes care of maintenance?
If the installation is entrusted to my partners, they maintain it with me. If you work with your own installer, they receive a detailed maintenance logbook that lets them look after the installation on a normal schedule. And I live on the French Riviera: I am a phone call away if anything goes wrong.
Let’s talk about your project
From Monaco to Aix-en-Provence, and in Switzerland. Describe your project in two minutes: Olesya will call you back personally.