Once upon a time, there was only the moon lighting up the way for nighttime wanderers. A giant natural floodlight, perfect in its benevolent roundness. If there was no moon or if the night was cloudy, you had two options: staying at home or bringing a hand-held lantern.
In the cities, there were sometimes lighting provided by the city or the property owners – oil lamps on consoles or posts, offering a weak and flickering light. They were never lit after midnight though, not at all if the moon was up.
In the 1850s and 1860s all this changed. Gas light was installed in many of the major Swedish cities, providing new freedom of movement after dark. Still, the designs were adapted to the fact the lantern housed a living flame.
FROM GAS TO ARC LIGHTS
When it comes to lighting design, you have to wait until the 1870’s for something new to happen. That's when electric lighting was first introduced in Sweden, starting with the arc light. The arc light consisted of a glass sphere with two carbon rods and an intense, restless light arc jumping between them.
Gas and electric lighting co-existed into the early 20th century, but as the tungsten filament incandescent lamp was developed it revolutionized lighting design. This light source was superior in so many ways. It provided great light, had a hermetic atmosphere and it could be mounted in any direction without compromising its functionality. From the 1920’s luminaire design attracted leading architects of the society.
A LANTERN NEVER SEEN
To lighting designers, the light source has been both a blessing and a curse – offering new opportunities in brightness and efficiency but also restrictions in shape, explains Tomas Bolin, product manager at Fagerhult Outdoor.
”Traditionally, the design of lanterns has always taken its starting point in the shape of the light source – if designing a new luminaire for the purpose. It has also been quite common to just ‘replace’ the light source, using a new light source in an old shape.”
”Today, LED-technology has come so far that it is finally possible to do it differently. The design is no longer bound to the light source as LED lets designers and architects work freely. That’s why we wanted to do something extrarordinary. We wanted a game changer.”
Tomas and his team turned to Scandinavian lighting authority Kai Piippo and his team at ÅF Lighting. Kai is an award winning lighting designer with an international repute. The mission was to create an innovative lantern for parks and squares. A lantern never seen before. On Fagerhult’s behalf, ÅF Lighting created the guidelines for the groundbreaking design.
THE PERFECT CYLINDER
”I immediately felt that we had to avoid everything that could be outdated or related to a certain decade. It shouldn’t remind of anything that’s been done before. And when seeing it 30 years from now, you shouldn’t think that it’s a 2020’s design”, says Kai Piippo.
We can identify at least three different popular designs that actually has influenced the outdoor lighting design since then; the industry lamp, the lantern with the steel sheet ‘hat’ and the globe”, tells Jan Garnert, lighting historian.
The globe is one of the most beloved shapes dating back to the arc light. Since the 1920’s has been used in countless designs.
”Of course we didn’t want to do the globe again. Especially at is it worthless regarding light ergonomics. With no louvres what so ever, the incandescent lamp in its center feels like a welding flame to the eye, a dazzling barrier between the spectator and the surrounding nature. ”
Still, there is an explanation why we are so incredibly fond of globes and spheres.
”The human eye always searches for symmetry as it exists in nature. So we thought, why not ask nature for advice? One of nature’s most perfect forms is the cylinder. It can be seen everywhere. In the swirls of the snail’s shell and in the vortex of the sparkling creek. It's the same principles described by the golden ratio and in DaVincis’ Vetruvian man. Simplicity and perfection. So, we decided to create a cylinder with the perfect proportions. The simplest and most natural of all forms and extremely difficult to do. But I really think we pulled it off.”
"We can identify at least three different popular designs that actually has influenced the outdoor lighting design since then; the industry lamp, the lantern with the steel sheet ‘hat’ and the globe." Jan Garnert, lighting historian
AN ANIMATED EXPERIENCE
Another important objective when working with the Devina luminaire, was that it shouldn’t obstruct the surrounding environment. Its using the most advanced LED-technology packed with prestanda and innovative features – but you never see the light source, from any angle. Fagerhult’s strong legacy within lighting comfort shines through in every detail.
”In nature, all living things and creatures are syncronized with their habitat. For example, the fur of the arctic fox is greyish brown in summertime changing into white, blending with the snow during winter. We wanted Devina to have the same features. It should blend into the surrounding nature, creating a sense of light without taking the focus from the beauty around it. Kind of an animated feeling.” says Kai.
STRIVING FOR UNIQUENESS
Aspiring timeless and inspired by eternal beauty the Devina luminaire is expected to change our views on outdoor city lighting.
”We are experiencing a change of paradigm in the customer’s wishes and demands. For the first time, cities want to find their own design instead of going with a standard solution. Lighting and lanterns have become an important part of place branding and cities want luminaires that are unique, expressing the cities character and soul. For example, the ‘Stockholm’ outdoor luminaire range is a Swedish modern classic that was designed by Olle Anderson especially for Stockholm and became a huge success. But if you install Stockholm luminaires in every Swedish city its not that much Stockholm any more, is it?”, Kai asks rethorically.
That’s why the Devina is somewhat related to Plato’s theory of ideas. Based on the cylindric design, customers are free to create their own unique individual using the materials and colours of their choice.
”Devina offers a new way of freedom. She’s the heir to traditional city illumination evolved to support a new lighting paradigm. She allows you to create the mood and experience that you want to express for the particular location”, says Tomas Bolin.
Fagerhult also offers four different pre defined Devina designs inspired by Nordic culture. Each of the four designs are created with the four different seasons in mind; materials and expressions linked to the four elements, different nordic nature phenomenas and times of the day.
”For example, we’ve linked autumn to fire and dawn”, Tomas explains.
In creating the different designs, Fagerhult has put a lot of effort in emphasizing craftsmanship and the Swedish design heritage. A Devina should be experienced as crafted, not manufactured.
”When choosing materials and manufacturing we have cared for the crafted feeling, collaborating with, among others, Swedish glass producer Orrefors and one of Swedens famed glass designers.”
"The human eye always searches for symmetry as it exists in nature. So we thought, why not ask nature for advice?" Kai Piippo, Head of Design ÅF Lighting
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The Evolution of Retail Experience: Insights from Professor Laura Ugolini – Part One
Every era creates its own version of the ideal shop. In Victorian Britain, abundance mattered. Shop windows were packed tightly with goods, projecting prosperity and variety onto busy high streets. By the interwar years, modernity had become the aspiration: cleaner lines, brighter interiors, electric lighting and carefully staged displays signalled that a retailer was progressive and in touch with contemporary life. The pressures facing retail today – new technologies, changing customer habits, shifting expectations around experience and convenience – are not entirely new. Retail has always evolved in response to social, cultural and technological change. Long before the arrival of online shopping, retailers were experimenting with how architecture, display, atmosphere and service could influence behaviour. We spoke with Professor Laura Ugolini, Director of the University of Wolverhampton’s Centre for the History of Retailing and Distribution (CHORD), to chart this history of retail stores and the role of lighting with in it. The Theatre of the Early Shopfront The instinct to attract attention is far older than the modern high street. Retailers in medieval markets and Georgian streets already understood the importance of presentation, spectacle and visibility. Yet the nineteenth century transformed what shops could physically become. Advances in manufacturing made large plate-glass windows more affordable and widely available, allowing retailers to create bigger and more ambitious displays. According to Laura, Victorian window displays often appear cluttered to modern eyes, with goods “almost crammed into the shop to give an impression of abundance.” When Lighting Became Part of Modern Retail Lighting has long shaped the retail experience, even before electricity became widespread. Gas lighting illuminated nineteenth-century shopfronts and allowed stores to extend trading hours, particularly in winter. Yet the interwar period marked a significant shift in how lighting was discussed and marketed. “Modernity was very much associated with lighting. The cinemas, dance halls, and the city centre were all portrayed as being very bright in that period.” Electric lighting became a visible symbol of progress. Retailers used brightness to communicate cleanliness, efficiency and fashionability. Stores that embraced electric lighting presented themselves as contemporary businesses aligned with changing tastes and lifestyles. “There seems to be this association with being modern, with being up to date. They make comparisons with dark and dingy interiors.” Trade publications of the interwar period increasingly discussed lighting as part of the wider modernisation of retail interiors, alongside shop fittings, display design and window presentation. One interwar menswear article argued that “the modern man’s shop must be bright”, contrasting contemporary retail environments with the “gloomy” and poorly organised outfitter shops of earlier decades. At Walter Scott’s menswear premises in Regent Street, “dust proof fixtures and tubular lighting” were promoted as signs of a modern retail design. While display had long been key to retail, interwar department stores increasingly integrated it throughout the entire shopping environment. One article describing the Simpson store in Piccadilly states that space was devoted to “selling through display”, with furniture, fittings and lighting all contributing to the overall customer experience. Even then, retailers balanced aesthetics with practicality. Electricity remained relatively expensive during the interwar years, meaning natural light still played an important role. Skylights, large windows and glazed façades were often combined with electric lighting to reduce costs while maintaining bright interiors. Markets, Spectacle and Entertainment While department stores projected refinement and sophistication, Britain’s markets developed their own highly theatrical retail culture. Laura points to photographs of 1930s markets, where traders used electric lighting to illuminate stalls and attract crowds. The Saturday night market became both a commercial and social event. “It was often a spectacle as well as just somewhere you went to buy your items. People went for entertainment as well as just to buy things.” The Bolton Worktown photograph, shown below, of a brightly lit shoe stall captures this atmosphere particularly well. Electric lamps flood the stall with light while customers gather closely around the display, demonstrating how illumination could help to create drama, visibility and energy within crowded public spaces. These markets reveal an important point about retail history: experiential retail is not a recent invention. Long before contemporary flagship stores and immersive brand environments, retailers were already using atmosphere, performance and sensory appeal to attract visitors. Shoe Stall, 1937. Humphrey Spender. © Bolton Museum The Department Store Revolution If markets brought energy and spectacle, department stores introduced a new kind of controlled retail environment. By the late nineteenth century, stores such as Harrods, Selfridges and John Lewis allowed customers to browse freely without the pressure to purchase immediately. Cafeterias, reading rooms, hairdressers and rest facilities encouraged visitors to spend extended periods inside. “I would suggest that that kind of experience of actually just browsing, shopping, wandering around and just looking is probably something we associate with department stores in the nineteenth century,” This represented a major cultural shift. Earlier forms of shopping were often highly transactional, involving direct interaction between customer and shopkeeper. Department stores softened this exchange and made browsing itself a leisure activity. The development of customer amenities also changed who retail spaces were designed for. Many department stores actively targeted female shoppers, presenting themselves as respectable and relatively safe urban environments. “Department stores often marketed themselves as a shop aimed specifically at female customers. Somewhere where women could actually wander around in relative safety.” The design of these interiors reinforced that sense of reassurance and comfort. Bright, ordered environments, visible circulation routes and carefully controlled displays all contributed to a more welcoming retail experience. Standardisation and Aspiration As the twentieth century progressed, chain retailers began refining another retail strategy: consistency. Brands such as Marks & Spencer created standardised interiors and displays across multiple locations, helping customers recognise the brand experience wherever they shopped. Laura points to menswear chains, such as Burton, that used fittings and fixtures designed to resemble bespoke tailoring establishments, despite selling mass-produced suits at accessible prices. “It actually felt as if you were entering a bespoke tailor,” This blending of aspiration and accessibility became central to twentieth-century retailing. The environment itself communicated value, trust and identity. An article on Elliotts of Reading described a modernised shopfront as possessing “quiet but compelling attraction”, suggesting retailers increasingly understood that atmosphere and identity could influence customer perception before any interaction took place. That connection between atmosphere and perception continues today. Whether through lighting, materials, layout or display, retail environments still shape how customers interpret brands long before a purchase is made. The Foundations of Modern Retail By the interwar period, retailers were already thinking carefully about how lighting, display, materials and layout influenced perception and behaviour. Many of the themes shaping retail design today – atmosphere, identity, experience and customer comfort – were already emerging nearly a century ago. In part two, we will look at how retail continued to evolve through the twentieth century – from department stores and chain stores to self-service, convenience shopping, and the modern question of what physical stores can offer that digital retail cannot
Melanopic lux: lighting for education influenced by human biology
Light is essential in our daily lives, influencing our ability to see, overall well-being and performance. In educational environments, lighting quality can significantly impact students' focus, mood, and energy levels. So, how do we know what is the right amount and quality of light for this setting? Traditionally, light has been measured in lux, a unit of measurement for the intensity of light. It's used to measure how much light falls on a surface or the amount of light in a given space. One lux is the amount of light that falls on a surface that is one square meter in area when one lumen of light is spread out evenly. Recent advancements in research have unveiled the importance of melanopic lux, which goes beyond mere visibility. This measures how effectively light stimulates specific eye cells that regulate crucial non-visual functions such as sleep and alertness. In classrooms and lecture theatres, the melanopic ratio has become vital in lighting design, enabling educators to create spaces that support visual tasks and align with students' biological rhythms. In this article, we explore how lighting solutions can align with our biology, and how this helps to create optimum conditions for educational environments. The science of vision and light The human eye is a remarkable organ designed for high-resolution colour vision within a small area (approximately 2 degrees of the visual field) while relying on peripheral vision for motion detection. This dual-function system, shaped by evolution for survival, continues to influence how we perceive and interact with our surroundings. Our eyes are particularly susceptible to green and yellow light, reflecting our evolutionary adaptation to naturally lit environments. In contrast, blue light, which is chief in modern LED lighting, requires higher intensity to be perceived at the same level. Effective lighting design carefully considers brightness, timing, and distribution to support visual clarity and biological functions like mood and alertness. For example, exposure to bright light in the morning helps regulate circadian rhythms, boosting alertness and mitigating the effects of seasonal darkness. This is particularly important in educational environments, such as schools and universities, where lighting impacts mood, focus, and overall performance. Our Organic Response system provides an innovative solution tailored for these spaces. This smart lighting technology automatically optimises light levels, featuring daylight-responsive sensors and advanced occupancy detection, maintaining a balance between natural and artificial light. Doing so supports visual comfort and reduces energy consumption, making it an ideal choice for creating dynamic, efficient, and student-friendly learning environments. To further support students, well-lit spaces with minimal glare are essential for reducing eye strain and maintaining focus during extended study sessions. Adjusting light intensity and colour temperature for different tasks—such as reading, group discussions, or creative activities—enhances light's visual and non-visual effects. By integrating thoughtful lighting strategies like those offered by Organic Response, educational environments can promote healthier, more productive, and engaging learning experiences. Integrative lighting: Supporting health and well-being. Integrative lighting (also referred to as human-centred lighting) combines visual and non-visual benefits (such as emotional effects) to support biological rhythms and psychological well-being. This approach goes beyond traditional lighting solutions by considering how light impacts circadian rhythms and hormonal balance. Light exposure in the morning is critical for suppressing melatonin (the sleep hormone) and increasing cortisol (the alertness hormone). Proper timing helps align students' natural rhythms with school schedules, which often require a lot of focus. Consistent exposure to bright, cool light early in the day can enhance energy levels and cognitive performance. The melanopic ratio compares the spectral composition of a light source with daylight. Using this information, you can determine its melanopic lighting intensity. This enables the design of lighting setups that precisely meet both visual and biological lighting needs. Lighting recommendations for educational spaces Each learning environment has unique lighting needs. Libraries benefit from direct lighting on the floor, paired with ambient lighting on walls and ceilings. Vertical shelf lighting (200-300 lx) makes it easier to browse titles. Lecture halls, on the other hand, require glare-free, comfortable lighting with flexible control, ideally with pre-programmed scenarios. In auditoriums and classrooms, strong vertical lighting is crucial for clear visual communication, especially over greater distances, enhancing facial expressions and engagement. General lighting recommendations apply to all educational spaces. Our solutions meet industry standards, ensuring reading and writing areas maintain 500 lx for effective visual tasks. Using daylight-responsive sensors for luminaire rows can reduce energy consumption while maximising natural light. The number and arrangement of luminaires should be adjusted based on the room's size and function to ensure consistent illumination. The role of dynamic lighting A Double Dynamic lighting system can be a game-changer in educational environments. It allows for intensity and colour temperature adjustments to match the specific needs of activities, from quiet reading sessions to collaborative group work. Fagerhult's distinct approach to lighting means that our design is human-centric; we integrate scientific insight into light and human psychology, creating environments that support academic performance and well-being. Our focus on energy efficiency also means our advanced control systems optimise light usage while minimising energy consumption, contributing to a building’s sustainability goals. The customisable setting and flexible solutions ensure that educational environments can create tailored lighting profiles for different times of the day or specific learning activities. Long-term benefits of melanopic lighting Melanopic lighting, designed to mimic the natural light spectrum, helps regulate the circadian rhythm, which is essential for maintaining focus, energy, and emotional balance. In classrooms and study areas, proper lighting can reduce eye strain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance mood, which are critical for students' mental health and academic performance. By incorporating lighting that aligns with our biological needs, schools and universities can foster healthier, more productive learning environments,. This is particularly important during the winter months when daylight is limited. Whether through advanced tuneable white light systems, designs that maximise daylight, or energy-efficient solutions, we are dedicated to leading the way in lighting innovation for educational environments, delivering brighter futures—one classroom at a time.