Authored by Chris Thornley, Associate Director at Conran and Partners, below is a run down of important factors to consider when designing a lobby space. From types of lighting to the size of the space and the people who use it, there are many influencing elements to consider.

The hotel lobby has had a bad reputation over the years. Stale and stagnant places home to hoards of weary travellers coming, going, queuing, and complaining.  An endless sea of furniture that is very rarely utilised, with guests preferring to escape to the privacy of their room or the more atmospheric F+B environments. With soaring ceilings and half a quarry of marble adorning any available surface, the historical focus was on decadence and grandeur.

My first memory of a major shift in ‘lobby culture’ is the likes of ace hotel and citizenM, where the palatial gave way to the cosy.  Young twenty-somethings were desperate to spend hours in their lobby spaces, perched on their sharing tables with a coffee and a MacBook. It seems that this turn of the century shift towards a more lifestyle approach is here to stay, with the larger brands emulating this model in various iterations across their portfolios. The particular recipe is adjusted to suit location, brand and audience, but the key focus is always on the atmosphere.

Lighting in the lobby is only the first chapter in the whole story of the journey through the subsequent spaces. It is the first and last impression. Catering to everyone, from the weary business person who has just stepped off a 12-hour flight and has a few short hours before a day of meetings to the excitable leisure traveller looking to use all possible facilities, and everyone in between.  There is no right answer to how a lobby space should be lit, however there are some general rules that designers should always follow. 

Do make a statement. The designer who tries to please all will inevitably end up disappointing everyone. When we look at designing hotels, and lighting in the lobby, we are usually looking at a customer group ranging of all ages and background. Try to hone in on – and design for – the guest as a single person with specific requirements and preferences, otherwise everything becomes too watered down.

Interpret the context in an abstracted way. In a world of Pinterest where the soul of a hotel can become generic, take inspiration from the local culture, whether historical or contemporary. We often collaborate with lighting companies to create completely bespoke and one-of-a-kind installations that commit to the overall concept for the space, rather than something that is selected from a brochure and transplanted. For example, at Park Hyatt Changsha, we have collaborated with Czech lighting brand Lasvit to create a bespoke chandelier that is inspired by the iconic fireworks of Changsha.

Have an idea of budget and ceiling height before you start designing. Especially with lobby design we are usually dealing with very large and often tall spaces. If you were to ask me the generic recipe of things to go into a lobby space, amongst the reception desk, sofa groups and floral displays, I would also add the ‘feature chandelier’. However, some spaces are just not large enough to handle the scale and it ends up making the space feel squashed and uncomfortable. Also, designing breath-taking Murano glass chandeliers, which seem to go as far as the eye can see, is all well intentioned and easily done on visuals, until you have to shrink it to a quarter of the size to fit budget. There are fantastic solutions to suit all budgets but it is harder to back-track once you have sold them the Rolls Royce.

Consider day to night, this comes back to the atmosphere. There are no hard and fast rules but, if you have a grand lobby space, you want the lighting scheme to celebrate the grandeur throughout the day and – as the evening draws in – become cosy and seductive.  One thing that we considered with Park Hyatt Changsha is the season beyond the window. With cold and grey winters, we wanted the lighting scheme to offset this with warmer tones. During the summers, which are very warm and bright, the scheme can feel slightly cooler. This seasonal approach to lighting feels like the natural evolution to the typical day to night concept.

Never illuminate people from five storeys high. Drama and height are fantastic tools for us to work with as designers, but human nature sees people drawn to more human scale spaces. Lighting and its placement can play a pivotal role in combatting cavernous spaces. German Gymnasium is one of our projects that, although not a lobby space, has all the hallmarks of one volumetrically. We worked very closely with the lighting consultant to ensure that there was a great deal of low level lighting to juxtapose the scale with a feel of intimacy and warmth.

Steer away from lighting with too many light sources. This is rooted in practicality. We have all seen amazing lighting installations where a few luminaires have gone and are yet to be replaced. The impression that this gives is one of unkemptness and lack of care, which directly reflects on the brand overall. When specifying the dramatic large scale pieces we often illuminate objects rather than have the light being the focal point. Lanson Place Parliament Gardens, our latest hotel in Melbourne, is a good example. We designed a 41-metre long light installation where the decorative elements are ceramic sheets that appear to be dancing from the entrance to the guest elevators – a nod to the history of the building as a printworks. Rather than these elements being individually illuminated, they are highlighted from subtle spots placed discretely around, giving the impression of illumination.

Last, but certainly not least, coloured lighting. There are some very specific instances where this can be done well but generally just no.

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