Katia Carlucci: .PSLAB was founded in 2004 in Beirut and now a team of approximately 100 people is working worldwide wwith bases in Europe and in the Middle East. How did this change happen?
.PSLAB: We offer a personalized service and have spread globally to better serve our international client base with this personalized service. We have expanded our team to properly meet and assist our clients and engage them in a one-on-one dialogue no matter where they are, an important factor to us. This worldwide presence is essential as it allows us to better understand our international customer’s needs by being closer to them. In our efforts to further support this expansion we will potentially be opening offices in London and Bologna.
K.C.: .PSLAB was born first as a company or as a designer office? Which kind of professionals forms your team?
.PSLAB: At .PSLAB, we are not a lighting design company nor are we suppliers of lighting products. We are designers and manufacturers of site-specific lighting products. We offer a complete breadth of services which has set us apart from the competition.
Our team is constituted of people with different backgrounds from artisans, architects, technicians, communicators, engineers and designers. On each project our creative and technical teams work together on every aspect of product development, from concept to construction. We design our own .PSLAB branded products and manufacture them in our own factory grouping our very own team of artisans whose hand-made finishing touches can be seen in every product. With an office in Beirut and Stuttgart, a brand representative in Bologna and partners in London and Scandinavia, our team is comprised of people from all over the world.
K.C.: Do you cooperate with external professionals such as designers and architects?
.PSLAB: Each project we have worked on is a direct result of a collaboration between .PSLAB and the architect/designer of the space. When working on a site, we collaborate to find the best lighting concept that is in harmony with the nature and characteristics of the space.Everything is done in-house with close attention to detail, down to the publications we create; giving us more control of the process and allowing us to better meet a client’s expectations.
This process also ensures quality and helps us in monitoring our brand communication and growth.
As designers and manufacturers of site-specific lighting products, we follow a Projects approach which is at the core of who we are as a team. This approach involves offering our clients a complete service from creating unique designs based on the characteristics of the space to working with them through every aspect of project development from concept to construction. While identifying solutions to a particular new space, we often work with designers and architects who favor our approach because they value the direct dialogue and recognize the added value the brand provides.
K.C.: .PSLAB offers a project approach to lighting. What does that approach involve?
.PSLAB: The project approach is at the core of what we do here at .PSLAB. Following an open dialogue with the client, our creative team wirks on developing site-specific designs that work with the space and meet's the client’s needs.
The finished products are designed to be functional and visually effective while working harmoniously with the site. This process has allowed us to develop ongoing working relationships with many of our clients. At .PSLAB, we also have a library of our completed products that we have built up for over six years and that constitute the internal ingredients we use in our project approach and at the basis of our creativity. Depending on the space, its requirements and characteristics, we might recommend our clients to go with a different concept package which is to create a brand new concept with a mix of existing and/or customized products. While we might use a certain lighting product in more than one project, we have strict guidelines in place to ensure the uniqueness of the concept.
K.C.: Being a dynamic and multisectorial reality, how do the phases of each project run?
.PSLAB: While we do follow a certain structure, all projects we work on are unique as they aid in adding to our creativity. When working on a project, all details from concept to the technical aspect are important. We go on sites whenever possible to look at the space. While we do not install our products, we do supervise the installation and provide guidance. Each project has three distinct phases:
Design: This phase marks the initiation of the creative process. The purpose is to identify a clear design direction and through continuous one-on-one dialogue with the client, our creative team will develop and design an initial concept that fits with the requirements of the space and that’s in line with the client’s vision.
Pre-Production: This phase is aimed at product definition and development of the technical details of the product, including site-coordination before beginning production.
Production & Delivery: This phase includes the coordination of design between all relevant parties leading to production of the products defined in Phase 2.
K.C.: With regards to materials, which ones do you prefer? Does it exist a material that fit with your creative ideas better than others?
.PSLAB: When working on our products, we have used in the past aluminum, stainless steel, steel, brass, copper, fabric and glass. With each project comes a new space bringing about its own unique set of requirements and so the materials used ultimately depends on the project type and area we are working on.
K.C.: How are you contributing to energy saving in your work?
.PSLAB: When a project requires energy saving solution, we are able to customize our products to use energy-saving light sources. Our choice of type of source then depends on the space as well as the client’s preferences.
K.C.: Is your lamps collection integrated with on commission products created for particular locations?
.PSLAB: The .PSLAB brand is a reflection of the approach we take vis-à-vis our projects. We offer our clients a complete service from creating unique designs based on the characteristics of the space to working with them through every aspect of project development from concept to construction. This can be seen in all the projects we’ve completed and communication tools we’ve created. Creating new designs to fit a space make it that each project boasts a new fixture or lighting product unique to the space and therefore not reused in other projects.
K.C.: Tell us about some of your projects. Which is the one you are most fond of?
.PSLAB: Our work can be found in private homes in London, art galleries in Berlin, restaurants in Beirut, hotels in France, conceptual boutiques in Antwerp and at events and public spaces worldwide.
Each project is a new challenge and for each challenge comes a new creation specific to its space and conceived taking into consideration the site’s constraints. For us, each project is unique, and so cannot be compared.
Iris, Beirut
We were invited to create custom lighting products for this rooftop bar & restaurant. Within a few months, our design team created a strong set of interventions that gave the space a distinctive new mood.
Maison Thoumieux, Paris – Boutique Hotel.
Our emphasis in this site was on the relationship between the viewer and the light provided by the fixture, creating a specific mood that will engage the viewer with the products.
Barbican Food Hall & Lounge, London – Multi-arts and conference venue.
We developed a core concept for the Food Hall that was adapted into different fixtures throughout the space’s different areas.
Graanmarkt 13 – Food Hall & Lounge, Antwerp.
A disused grain market in Antwerp was transformed into an innovative residence combined with intimate boutique, gallery and restaurant spaces.
We lit Graanmarkt 13 with a range of lighting that matched the building’s character and adapted to its architectural features.
Monte Carlo Beach Hotel, Monaco
For the entrance spaces of Monte-Carlo Beach, a modern boutique hotel in Monaco, we worked on to create romantic, whimsical lighting products.
Pierluigi Restaurant, Rome
One of our latest projects we completed in Italy.
K.C.: What projects are you working on?
.PSLAB: Residences in London, Beirut, Morocco, UAE, Oman, Restaurant and Bar
in Beirut, Hotel in France and UAE, Palace in UAE, Mall in Kuwait.
