Dolphin Square, UK

Built in the late 1930s in a distinctive neo-Georgian style, Dolphin Square is the UK’s largest privately owned apartment complex and a London icon. Recent refurbishment by GRID Architects has reimagined the building for contemporary living, carefully balancing heritage, comfort, and amenity. DesignPlusLight played a vital role in transforming the lighting, revealing architectural features, guiding movement, and enhancing atmosphere.

The architects implemented a new entrance pavilion with double height arches. Wall washer downlights model the façade and place the portico columns into silhouette. Floor uplights to the bronze arched openings further enhance the sense of grandeur, all beautifully capped off by a soft wash of light to the first-floor frontage.

At the heart of the project, the double-height entrance lobby is defined by two staircase wings, creating a dynamic sequence of volumes as visitors enter. Lighting enhances the architectural features, highlighting materials to soften the impression of the space. Linear wall-graze lighting accentuates the texture of the fluted timber panels around the stair core, introducing a sense of lighting asymmetry. The lighting effects are graduated to give each area its own presence. Carefully positioned uplights anchor the view across the space, whilst under-stair illumination gives the impression of floating staircases and silhouettes the planting below. Sightlines and vistas are framed with wall washers and floor uplights, guiding the eye from entrance to reception and beyond.

The atrium posed a unique challenge with a triple-height space that can create potential glare and reflections from the glazing. DesignPlusLight balanced daylight with indirect and diffuse lighting to the skylights. This prevents dark voids at night, while minimising reflections and glare. The lighting was set back in the surrounding spaces to introduce shadow and contrast. This encourages visitors to explore the next room or level. A halo lighting effect to the reception panel frames the finishes and branding, establishing a focal point within the double-height volume.

New workspaces and a café terrace open onto the Grade II-listed Moroccan Garden, where ambient and task lighting complement uplights on bronze cladding. An inside–outside effect is created with terrace canopy string lights and concealed downlights that illuminate tables and the internally lit green partitions – forming a bronze framework that ties the interior and landscape together.

Through considered and nuanced lighting design, DesignPlusLight has revealed Dolphin Square’s architectural heritage while creating spaces that are bright and welcoming by day and dramatically atmospheric by night. From immersive arrival experiences to intimate garden terraces, the lighting transforms atmosphere, supports modern living, and honours the building’s 1930s character.