Lighting up a penthouse with white exposed ceiling beams

Andrea Lanaro, OLEV founder, talks about the solutions studied, together with architect Andrighetto, to best illuminate this beautiful penthouse.

Even in contemporary settings, exposed beams are a sure way to give your home a unique look. However, when it comes to illuminating them, getting the right balance of style and function might present some difficult challenges. We are located on the hills of Vicenza -Italy-, inside a penthouse furnished with elegance. The project, signed by architect Simone Andrighetto, develops with a mansard roof. Complemented by white and grey shades, the magnificent exposed ceiling beams dominate the rooms that are entirely contemporary.

Andrea Lanaro, OLEV founder, talks about the solutions studied, together with architect Andrighetto, to best illuminate this beautiful penthouse.

“The beams were a great design opportunity. To make the most of them, we installed a LED profile into the wall that runs along its length.The profile throws light upward, providing the open-plan living room with ambient lighting and creating a striking effect. Because of its open-plan design, we also needed the right light for performing daily activities. That’s why added some task lights too. In the living room, three OLEV Poly Esagono pendant lamps illuminate the iconic glass table by Scarpa.

We chose this specific lamp model because of three reasons:

• A minimized visual impact. The living room opens onto a large glass wall, and the view is not affected by the hanging lamps;
• A comfortable lighting level. The Poly Esagono’s upward and downward light sources ensure a comfortable lighting level;
• A striking visual effect, thanks to the hexagonal shape that adds character to the space.

In the kitchen, two spotlights concealed behind the beams illuminate the island’s worktop.  The kitchen chosen by the owner is black. Therefore, it absorbs a lot of light. The under-cabinet LED fixture provides the worktop an intense light that facilitates cooking. Finally, some elements such as the sofa and the painting are illuminated by adjustable spotlights that are concealed behind the beams. The cabling was designed since the early stages of the project, so we could keep the beams clean and uncluttered.”