Maison d’Art Gallery

To make the artwork featured in this Greek Revival-style building from 1928 look its best, the designers behind the Maison d’Art gallery in Los Angeles wanted a precise balance of natural and artificial light. That way, visitors could not only appreciate the exhibits in optimal lighting, but would also be able to fully appreciate the volume of the unique space — all without the distraction of a visible light fixture.

To make this work, Johnston Marklee and Buro Happold developed an innovative indirect lighting system that washes the room in an ambient glow.

First, they created a “soffit,” or faux ceiling that didn’t extend all the way to the walls, leaving a gap. Behind this panel, a unique, custom NanoTex fixture was created, where the light radiates outwards instead of downwards. The cold-stretch fabric allows not only for this configuration, but for fully luminous corners as well, so there are no interruptions in the light. Light is reflected off the walls and gives the diffuse illumination that celebrates the art and the space alike. Dimmable and color tunable from 2700K to 4000K, the atmosphere of the gallery space can also be adjusted to reflect the exhibited work.

The design is also versatile. Thinking ahead, monopoints were installed behind the lower ceiling that can be accessed by simply cutting into the ceiling. This way, exhibits that may require specific accent lighting can be shown the way the artist intends without major overhauls to the space.