Designing a sense of arrival – Sheraton Heathrow’s transformed lobby lounge

As part of the refurbishment of the hotel’s public areas, interior designers Bell & Swift reimagined the arrival experience, creating a contemporary hospitality space that balances comfort, functionality and atmosphere. The redesigned lobby lounge and bar provide a more engaging environment for international travellers, business guests and airline crews, supporting everything from short visits to longer stays.

Working closely with the design team at Bell & Swift, Northern Lights developed bespoke lighting designed to complement the wider interior scheme while introducing a distinctive focal point within the space.

For Bell & Swift, the lighting was conceived as an integral part of the guest experience, with the installation designed to reveal new perspectives as guests move through the interior.

“My aim was to shape light into a living, large scale sculpture that carries our concept into the room. Wherever the guest is, whether in the restaurant or lounge, the pendant reveals itself from every angle, subtly changing as they move, keeping the space quietly captivating from any viewpoint.” — Maria Orizaga, Interior Designer, Bell & Swift

The lighting concept centred around two feature pendants, designed to create visual impact while maintaining a refined and understated presence. Rather than dominating the lobby lounge, the pendants were developed to work harmoniously with the surrounding materials, furniture and architectural details.

Each pendant features individually formed curved steel elements arranged into a flowing spiral composition. Finished in matt black, the metalwork creates a sense of fluidity and contrast, while illuminated glass globes introduce warmth and softness, helping to balance the contemporary structure with a welcoming ambience.

The sculptural form draws the eye through considered proportions and movement, enhancing the guest experience while allowing the wider interior design to remain central.

Crafted by Northern Lights’ metalwork artisans at its Derbyshire manufacturing facility, the installation required careful consideration of scale, balance and proportion to translate the original design concept into a finished three-dimensional feature. The curved steel elements were individually formed and assembled to achieve the intended flowing composition, enhancing the sense of movement and integration.

Alongside the bespoke pendants, Northern Lights also supplied a complementary floor lamp from its wider collection. Featuring matt black metalwork, a gently curved off-centre arm and coordinating glass globes, the piece extends the same visual language across the lighting scheme.

The combination of bespoke craftsmanship and carefully selected collection lighting demonstrates how tailored solutions can be balanced with functional requirements, enabling designers to create refined interiors where bespoke and collection pieces work seamlessly together.

For Sheraton Heathrow, lighting helped transform a transitional hotel space into a memorable arrival experience. Through collaboration, considered design and British manufacturing expertise, the project demonstrates how bespoke lighting can shape atmosphere, reinforce identity and create memorable hospitality environments.

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Main image credit: Frederick Goff / Sheraton