JULY 2026
THE HOSPITALITY ISSUE
Where architecture ends, light begins.
UIA World Congress - Barcelona, June 28–July 2
10,000 architects. 130 countries. One theme: Becoming. The ideas that closed this congress - material circularity, sensory atmosphere, embodied space - are already shaping the briefs landing on studio desks this month.
New Designers — London, Opens 1–4 July
2,500 graduates. 100+ UK universities. All disciplines under one roof for the first time in a single week. Every major studio attends. The fixture preferences, material directions, and silhouettes that will define specifications five years from now start here.
MoMA - Architects of Liberation, New York - Opens 5 July
The Museum of Modern Art opens Architects of Liberation on 5 July 2026, an exhibition highlighting the built environment in West Africa between the 1950s and 1980s. A global conversation about craft, materiality, and non-Western design intelligence is accelerating.
The Pieces Everyone Is Specifying
Volcanic Stone + Ceramic Pendants
The hospitality world's obsession with mineral materiality is moving into lighting. Stone, ceramic, and alabaster fixtures ground a space in place rather than trend.
Orb + Sphere Clusters
Sculptural glass clusters reading like constellations. Each orb individually blown, slightly imperfect, catching light differently at every angle.
Cascade Waterfall Chandeliers
The double-height hotel lobby fixture continues to define the most-photographed hospitality interiors of the year.
Volcanic Stone + Marble
The mineral moment continues. Stone sourced for its geological character not its consistency.
Unlacquered + Patinated Brass
Living metal. The finish that improves with every guest who passes through.
Mouth-Blown Amber + Smoked Glass
Imperfection as a luxury signal. No two pieces the same. The opposite of mass production.
Volcanic Ash
The grey that isn't grey. Warm, mineral, grounded. The new dark neutral for hospitality interiors that want depth without drama.
Milos Ochre
Sun-baked stone, Aegean light, golden hour on a terrace. The warmest neutral in the room and the one everyone stays for.
Terracotta Ember
Deep clay. Burnt at the edges. The colour of walls that have held heat all day and release it slowly at night.
Aegean Dusk
The moment before the stars. A blue that reads almost grey in daylight and entirely luminous after dark.
Aspen Residences
A fully customized lighting package for an 11,800 sq ft mountain estate in Aspen Highlands, integrating decorative and architectural lighting across living spaces, wellness areas, guest suites, and outdoor entertaining environments.
Private Villa, Al Barari
A bespoke decorative lighting package designed for a 15,800 square foot residence surrounded by private gardens, water features, and architectural landscapes.
The studios who define a decade don't find lighting last. They build around it.