No1 Lounges are a collection of premium, independent airport lounges across the UK’s busiest airports. The lounges offer travellers a convenient and comfortable service while waiting to board flights.

As part of a redesign for the brand, a series of new ‘Clubrooms’ were developed in 2017 to offer the ultimate departure experience, adding a top tier to the existing two levels of lounges offered.

The Clubrooms have been designed in the style of a modern members’ club, with the service to match. However, there were some elements of the lounges which the company was not content with. A redesign began in 2018, starting with the Birmingham Clubroom. 

To help create the desired atmosphere and ambience, a soft, moody lighting was required. The brief provided to MS Lighting Design was to reduce the number of downlights in order to achieve the right lighting levels, which were too high before. Elegance and luxury were both cited as important results for the project.

MS Lighting Design were appointed by Inside Out, the architects and interior designers, to create a scheme which would highlight the features in the space. There were many technical constraints facing MS Lighting Design, for example, a suspended, perforated ceiling which needed to be kept accessible, with air flowing to comply with fire regulations.

The Birmingham lounge also had very limited height.

To overcome these challenges, a a custom fixing was created for the egg crate spotlight, which was designed to reduce visibility and allow positioning in any location. The custom solution also allowed the light to be adjusted within the space.

MS Lighting Design integrated and hid as much as the lighting as possible, allowing it to subtly wash light onto surfaces, while also being controlled to maintain the atmosphere. Custom-designed joinery houses the lighting.

A scene setting system has been used to automate the whole space, ensuring that the lighting correctly illuminates the lounge at any time of day, as well as adjusting for the time of year.

Adding an additional element to the lighting design, electric blinds have been fitted to automate the daylight control and ensure the space is not overwhelmed by any direct sunlight.

In response to the brief, the result is certainly elegant, luxurious, and delivers a relaxing, classy respite for travellers and the lighting has no doubt played a fundamental role in this.