Designer and Architect Paris Albert, of 1508 London, details the decisions behind the lighting of the House of Rohl WOW!House 2025 Principal Bathroom…
At WOW!house 2025, 1508 London presented a Principal Bathroom for House of Rohl that balanced materiality, form and atmosphere with exceptional restraint.
Conceived as a layered, immersive environment, the space demonstrated how lighting – when thoughtfully integrated – can enhance an already considered bathroom design, amplifying emotion, ritual and wellbeing without overpowering the architecture itself.
The bathroom was imagined as a sanctuary: rich in texture, grounded in craft and elevated through a nuanced John Cullen Lighting-designed lighting scheme which responded intuitively to different moments of the day. Rather than acting in isolation, lighting worked in dialogue with clay walls, hand-fired tiles and sculptural sanitaryware, completing the spatial narrative and reinforcing the room’s sense of calm.
Image credit: James McDonald
Lighting as a complementary layer
Within this context, 1508 London approached lighting as an essential design layer – one that refined the spatial experience and heightened the emotional intent of the room. The bathroom unfolded through three carefully programmed lighting scenes – Ritual, Revitalise and Reverie – each aligned with the way that the space was designed to be used.
“It felt alive,” said Paris Albert, Associate Designer & Architect at 1508 London. “While our initial concept explored ‘Reflection’, we evolved this into ‘Revitalise’ for the Lutron Lighting Keypads, to create a more intentional contrast with the softer mood of ‘Reverie’. By layering light in this way, we’ve ensured the room doesn’t just look beautiful.”
Within the scene, lighting enhanced volume, depth and tactility – responding to the bathroom’s architecture rather than competing with it.
Ritual: clarity within a crafted space
Ritual was conceived as a morning setting that supported functionality while respecting the room’s warmth and material palette.
“Ritual is designed for the start of the day. This setting provides a bright, functional clarity by bringing the lighting to approximately 80% throughout the room,” explained Paris. “It’s a purposeful glow that supports your daily routine, offering the direction and energy needed to flow effortlessly into your morning.”
The result was a space that felt composed and energising, where light revealed the design.
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- Image credits: James McDonald
Revitalise: accentuating the spatial hierarchy
In Revitalise, lighting was used to reinforce the bathroom’s spatial hierarchy. The shower became the focal point, framed through contrast and softened surroundings.
“We envisioned this scene as a post-gym boost or a midday refresh,” added Paris. “Here, the focus shifts entirely to the shower as the room’s pinnacle moment. By softening the light in the surrounding niches, we create a high-contrast, immersive environment that celebrates the sensory experience of water, leaving you feeling invigorated and renewed.”
This careful modulation allowed the architecture and layout to guide the experience, with lighting acting as the unifying thread.
Reverie: enhancing materiality and mood
Reverie introduced the most atmospheric layer of the scheme, allowing the bathroom’s material richness to come to the fore; functional lighting receded, replaced by decorative and ambient sources that interacted gently with surfaces.
Paris described Reverie as ‘a true space for dreaming’. “This scene is the ultimate transition into stillness. In this setting, spotlights and downlights fade into the background, allowing the bath area to take centre stage. The warm glow of pendants and wall lights highlight the organic textures of the clay walls and hand-fired tiles.
Surrounded by candlelight and carefully curated pedestals, the light plays gently across the water’s surface, transporting you to another moment in time.” Light became a tool for revealing craftsmanship–enhancing texture, depth and warmth rather than dominating the scene.
Image credit: Chris Reeve
A holistic approach to lighting within bathroom design
For 1508 London, the lighting scheme was inseparable from the wider design vision – one rooted in wellness, ritual and sensory balance.
“Our goal was to showcase how subtle lighting scenes can completely redefine our relationship with a space,” added Paris. “This project wasn’t just about visibility; it was about atmosphere and awe. We treated the room like a wellness retreat, using a sophisticated mix of decorative fittings and expert programming to honour the daily ritual of cleansing. Bringing a vision of this scale to life was a true collaborative feat – working with John Cullen, Nucleus AV, and masters of craft like Bert Frank and Atelier 001. All that complexity is elegantly distilled into a single, bespoke Lutron Alisse keypad, making the transition between moods feel effortless.”
Within the context of WOW!House 2025, the Principal Bathroom stood as an example of how thoughtful lighting can complete a design – elevating form, material and experience into a cohesive whole.
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Main image credit: Chris Reeve
