Euphoria Retreat Custom Luminaire
2020
Mystras, Greece

The special character of the location, the architecture and the nature of the Retreat led to the design of a family of 12 custom luminaires. This holistic design strategy gave the opportunity to have full control over both the aesthetic that represents the project and the technical requirements of each application, throughout the ‘village’.

The suites expand through 3 buildings, of different layout and architectural features, creating 45 unique suites in total. The custom luminaires were tailor‐made for each of the suites, while maintaining a unifying style. The technical specification of each luminaire was then designed to suit IP rating, beam distribution and output needs of each suite’s interior and exterior areas.

The GAIA restaurant resembles a cloister space, with exposed double‐pitched timber roof and long tables for shared dining. Feature large custom‐made chandeliers hanging from the main timber beams were designed, with a large ring uplighting softly the timber roof and 8 pendant lights illuminate the tables. The pendants are LED modules encased in hallow candles so that both the touch and the smell of real candles contributes to a culinary experience of all six senses.

A destination spa hotel, such as the Euphoria Retreat, is a holistic immersive experience, where the light and the design of it becomes a silent protagonist that can hide and reveal elements, draw visitors to one area or another and play with the human senses, with low levels of illumination, tone contrast and detailing that integrates seamlessly with the architecture. It was good reminder for the design team to slow down, take a moment and understand what is vital to each space and each experience.

Photography: 1-7 Gavriil Papadiotis [GavriiLux] and 8-11 Euphoria Retreat