Prize(s) Winners in Retails Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company OPENDARK light and life
Lead Designers Elizabeth Domínguez
Other Designer's names David Maldonado
Architecture Company Estudio Cenit, Cristobal Fell
Client Libreria Antartica
Photo Credits Cristóbal Valdés R.
Completion Date 2024
Project Location MUT, Santiago de Chile
Entry DescriptionIn a commercial environment dominated by the ephemeral, this proposal turns lighting into a strategic branding tool. Here, light does not simply reveal the books: it celebrates them and frames them within a coherent, sensory, and deeply emotional visual universe.The lighting design transcends functionality to become an identity asset. Every color temperature, every shadow, every glow aligns with the brand’s personality—warm, approachable, and culturally sophisticated. Light does not just transform the space; it signs it. The bookstore unfolds through a sequence of backlit arches that establish a continuous and elegant visual rhythm. Low-consumption LED strips integrated into the bookshelves trace a smooth yet decisive visual path, inviting visitors to explore at a thoughtful pace. The visitor does not simply enter a store: they step into a story told with light.
This narrative is enriched by suspended light points that bring rhythm and theatricality, generating an enveloping, harmonious, and naturally photogenic atmosphere. Every corner is conceived as a postcard—an environment designed to be lived, remembered, and shared. This project demonstrates that light can be far more than a technical tool: it can be narrative, strategy, identity, and emotion. In this bookstore, lighting does not merely organize the space—it transforms it into a brand.
Sustainability ApproachEfficiency and Well-Being
The project prioritizes sustainability through high-efficiency LED systems, dynamic intensity control, and responsible materials. The use of warm light sources and carefully managed contrast ensures visual comfort while protecting eye health and supporting visitors’ circadian rhythms.
In an era where image is everything, light acts as an atmospheric logo—an invisible yet memorable signature that positions the bookstore as both a cultural and commercial reference. Customers do not only remember the space; they remember how they felt in it. That emotion, carefully crafted through light, builds a new kind of loyalty.
