BACKGROUND

Susan Lake, Design Director of Susan Lake Lighting Design, discovered her passion for lighting design while studying for an honours degree in interior architecture at Napier University in Edinburgh between 2000 and 2004.

Soon after graduating in 2004, Susan was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Design Directions Transport Interchange design award. The award included a travel bursary, which she used to travel the world and gain design inspiration from India and Japan.

On her return, Susan took a master’s degree in interior design at Edinburgh College of Art between 2005 and 2007, which enhanced her understanding of the relationship between interior design and lighting, and the way that light can transform architecture.

Susan then joined Lighting Design Partnership International in Edinburgh, in 2007, as a senior lighting designer. For over three years, she designed residential, spa, and hotel projects in the UK and the Middle East, including the Marriott Renaissance Central Market Abu Dhabi.

In 2010, Susan moved to the world renowned, architectural lighting design consultancy, Lighting Design International, in London, as a senior designer.

During her six years at LDI Susan honed her design skills still further, working on several high-end residential and commercial projects in the UK and abroad. In addition, she designed hotels, spas, and corporate headquarters, and received critical acclamation for a number of her projects, including:

·  2013 Winner of the European Hotel Design of the Year at the European Hotel Design Awards, for The Alpina Gstaad.

·  2014 Shortlisted for the Lux Awards, for the Ham Yard Hotel.

·  2015 Shortlisted for the Lighting Design Awards, for the Ham Yard Hotel.

By 2016, Susan was ready to put her experience and design skills to the test, and in that year, she formed Susan Lake Lighting Design to promote her own, unique design style. The venture has certainly paid off. In the years following its formation, SLLD has won numerous awards, including:

·  2017 Best of Houzz Customer Service Award.

·  2018 Darc Awards, Decorative, for the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square*.

·  2018 Second Place in the Lux Awards, REST category for best use of decorative lighting in a hotel project, for the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square*.

·  2018 Highly Commended Lighting Design Scheme in the Lux Awards, Hospitality, Leisure and Faith Project of the Year category, for the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square*.

·  2018 Winner of Hotel and Restaurant Lighting, in the LIT Lighting Design Awards, for the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square*.
*The Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square has since been rebranded as Kimpton Charlotte Square Edinburgh.

·  2018 Winner of Interior Architectural Illumination, in the LIT Lighting Design Awards, for Bivouac - Aukett Swanke Sleep Set.

·  2019 Highly Commended Lighting Design Scheme in the Lux Awards, Office, Education, and Healthcare Lighting Project of the Year category, for Värde Partners Office, London.

·  2020 Best of Houzz Customer Service Award.

·  2021 Winner of Workplace Lighting Design in the LIT Lighting Design Awards, for Kingsley Napley, London.

Over the last 6 years, Susan has led the team at SLLD from strength to strength, raising the design standard, securing award winning projects, and creating beautiful lighting design schemes.