Illuminating the Past: Industrial Lighting Transforms Historic New York Building
The historic building sits in the Dumbo neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, within sight of the East River. When architect Inga Oren was tapped to renovate the 4,000-square-foot building, she improved the functionality of the spaces within while giving a nod to the historical bones of the existing structure.
“It’s a printing facility for the New York Police Department,” Inga says. “It includes new accessible and fire egress pathways, kitchenette, offices spaces, and accessible bathrooms.” When searching for lighting, Inga needed LED fixtures to meet the latest energy code standards.
She also wanted American-made fixtures since this is a civic facility. Inga’s online research led her to Barn Light Electric which offers a wide array of easy-to-customize LED lights that are handcrafted in Florida. She worked with O’Blaney Rinker, one of Barn Light’s commercial reps to find the perfect fixtures.
For the larger, open spaces, Inga was attracted to the Avalon Chain Hung Pendant. She customized these RLM-style lights with 16″ shades, a powder coat Black finish, standard black cords, and wire cages. Each fixture also boasts a 4000 lumen LED with a 4000K color temperature and domed lens.
“We chose the 16″ shades as they would have a presence in the larger space. The black finish is an ode to the black industrial accents sprinkled throughout,” Inga explains. “The wire cage is utilitarian in the sense that it protects the bulb from industrial operations, but, at the same time, has a sort of industrial romanticism that really makes the fixtures sing.”
The smaller spaces, including the kitchenette and offices, demanded smaller fixtures but with plenty of illumination. Inga chose the Wilcox LED Deep Bowl Pendant for its eye-catching style. She customized these handspun fixtures with 14″ shades, powder coat Black finish, standard black cords, and wire cages. Inga also chose the same LED options as the Avalon Chain Hung Pendants.
“We wanted to keep the vein of the design intent congruous throughout, but these spaces required a change in pace and a unique statement of their own,” she notes. “The 14″ shades were more fitting to the smaller spaces, and the finish color and cages were repeated for continuity and to underscore that industrial feel.”
Even the bathrooms in this historic building got an upgrade under Inga’s talented hand. She used both Wilcox LED Deep Bowl Pendant Lights and matching Wilcox LED Deep Bowl Gooseneck Lights to give these spaces plenty of light. She customized the gooseneck lights with 14″ shades, the same powder coat Black finish, and G22 gooseneck arms. She also added the cast guard-and-glass option with frosted glass.
“This gooseneck has the feel of traditional, wall-hung bathroom sconces. They create a homey environment but retain that industrial scale and feel,” Inga explains. “The cast guards are an ode to classic maritime lighting; kind of fitting in a moisture-rich environment like a bathroom.”
Barn Light’s Customer Care team worked with Inga to provide detailed photometrics for the LED fixtures and analyze the lumens requirement for each space to determine the best customizing options for each fixture.
“Barn Light was wonderful to work with. We were able to secure a beautiful lighting array that didn’t compromise on the functional lighting needs we required,” Inga says. “The lights are the perfect complement to the rest of the architecture and literally make the space shine.”
Photos courtesy of Anee Atelier
