We collaborated with Lumens to bring their first brick-and-mortar retail gallery to life in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square district — an area known for its rich architectural heritage and vibrant design community. Conceived as both a showroom and an experiential design destination, the space introduces Lumens' expansive lighting and furniture collections to the Bay Area through a series of immersive, residentially scaled environments.

Rather than a traditional retail floor, the gallery unfolds as a sequence of thoughtfully composed vignettes. Each room is curated as a distinct moment, allowing visitors to experience lighting and furnishings within real-world contexts while also exploring more experimental compositions. Sculptural pendants, architectural sconces, and contemporary furniture pieces are layered together.

Our design approach balanced clean contemporary finishes with warm natural materials to create a calm, tactile backdrop for the collections. The grounded paint application, natural wood tones, and refined architectural details provide subtle texture while allowing the lighting to remain the focal point.

Throughout the gallery, layered lighting strategies — combining ambient, task, and accent illumination — showcase the versatility and performance of Lumens' offerings while shaping the atmosphere of each vignette.

The result is an immersive retail environment that feels equally like a gallery, a home, and a design resource. More than a showroom, the Lumens San Francisco gallery serves as a destination for architects, designers, and design-curious visitors alike.

Photography: Alanna Hale

Architect: Shelterwerk