In a lecture years ago, artist James Turrell made an observation that architect Marlon Blackwell, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), founder of the Arkansas-based Marlon Blackwell Architects, still remembers: “There’s too much light.”
The comment has stayed with him. Looking across today’s commercial interiors—from workplaces and hospitals to hotels and retail spaces—Blackwell believes Turrell was onto something.
It’s not difficult to see what Blackwell means. Many commercial interiors are designed to eliminate shadow where possible. Spaces are bright and easy to navigate, but they can also lose the depth and atmosphere that make architecture memorable.
“It’s not just about the light,” Blackwell says. “It’s also about darkness…or shadows.”
That perspective came up repeatedly while reporting this story. Whether discussing healthcare, workplaces or cultural projects, the designers I spoke with kept returning to the same idea: lighting works best when treated as part of the architecture rather than an added layer after the fact.
The challenges aren’t new. Most stem from familiar habits and solutions that satisfy technical requirements but don’t always support the way people actually experience a space. As commercial environments continue to evolve, certain habits are worth another look.
Table of contents:
2. When lighting becomes part of the architecture
6. Rethinking commercial lighting
1. Too much light
One of the most persistent issues in commercial lighting is also the simplest: too much of it.
In recently completed commercial spaces, one pattern appears again and again: too much light. Every surface is evenly illuminated. Shadows are treated as something to eliminate rather than something to work with.
The effect is often subtle. Nothing looks obviously wrong, but nothing really draws your attention. Rich materials, carefully detailed walls and architectural features end up competing on equal terms.
There is also a human impact. Overlit environments can become visually exhausting, particularly in workplaces where people spend long periods of time. Recalling Turrell’s observation, Blackwell notes that many contemporary spaces are designed as though every environment should be lit like daylight.
“People’s eyes are overstimulated,” he says.
For Blackwell, darkness isn’t something to eliminate; it’s another aspect of design. Without areas of shadow, there’s little sense of depth or discovery. Contrast allows architecture to unfold gradually instead of revealing everything at once.
Layered lighting—combining ambient, task and accent illumination—creates those moments naturally. A circulation path may call for brighter light, while nearby seating areas remain subdued. A feature wall can stand out without overwhelming the rest of the room.
Good commercial lighting design rarely comes from adding fixtures. More often, it’s the result of deciding where light matters most and where light can simply be subordinated.
2. When lighting becomes part of the architecture
Linear lighting has become a defining feature of contemporary commercial interiors. It’s easy to understand why. The systems are flexible, adaptable and can organize everything from office floors and corridors to hospitality spaces.
A common mistake with linear lighting occurs when the layout stops serving the design and becomes the design itself.
Too often, runs are extended to fill a ceiling plan or adjusted to satisfy spacing requirements without much connection to the architecture below. The lighting performs its job, but it doesn’t necessarily reinforce the building’s design or help people understand the space.
For Blackwell, this disintegration usually starts much earlier in the process.
“The lighting has to be part of the DNA of a project. It can’t be something that’s just kind of lick-and-stick and added on.”
That approach influences the firm’s work from the earliest stages of a project. Instead of waiting until the architecture is complete, lighting is considered alongside circulation, materials, and the overall design concept.
Ati Blackwell, FAIA, partner and creative director at Marlon Blackwell Architects, says the firm’s perspective changed as they began collaborating more closely with lighting designers.
“They try to understand the design first, and then follow with the lighting,” she explains.
Whether the fixtures are visible or concealed depends on the project. What matters more is what people remember afterward. Ideally, it’s the architecture, not the lighting fixtures themselves, that stays with them.
That same idea surfaced in my recent conversation with lighting designer Francesca Bettridge. Rather than treating lighting as a separate discipline, she described it as something that should grow out of the architecture and the way people occupy a space. When lighting is considered early in the design process, it becomes easier to support both the visual character of a project and the experience of moving through it.
3. Lighting at eye level
Lighting plans often begin with what can be measured. Visitors rarely experience a building that way. What they notice first are the walls, materials, openings and architectural details that sit at eye level.
It’s what people may notice without necessarily knowing why. A room may be bright enough, yet still feel closed in because so little light reaches surfaces at eye level.
Wall washing and grazing help shift this experience. Rather than simply adding brightness, they reveal texture, emphasize materiality and give walls a greater sense of depth. The result is often a space that feels more open without relying on additional ambient light.
The Whole Health Institute became one example of that philosophy in practice. There, Marlon Blackwell Architects chose cove lighting over individual accent lights, letting the walls—and the artwork on them—read as part of a single architectural composition.
“Not everything—even if it’s art—has to be highlighted,” Marlon Blackwell explains.
This philosophy reflects a broader approach to lighting. Sometimes what remains in shadow is as important as what is illuminated. By allowing architecture, materials and artwork to share the visual focus, lighting can create spaces that feel quieter, more comfortable, and ultimately memorable.
4. The downlight default
Walk into enough commercial buildings and a familiar pattern begins to emerge: rows of downlights appear almost by default—not because they’re always the best solution, but because they’re familiar and easy to incorporate into a lighting plan. The result can be a ceiling that resembles an airport runway rather than a thoughtfully considered lighting design.
Ask Marlon Blackwell which lighting habits he encounters most often and his answer comes without hesitation.
“Can lights. Downlights.”
His firm’s projects take a different approach. Marlon Blackwell Architects often favors uplighting and reflected light over direct overhead illumination. Rather than relying on fixtures that aim light straight down, indirect lighting allows it to bounce off walls and ceilings, creating softer transitions and a comfortable visual environment.
Downlights are often more effective when used selectively for task lighting rather than as the foundation of a general lighting plan.
Ati Blackwell says her own thinking about lighting evolved over time.
“Before, I thought it was, ‘Let’s put a whole grid of light in the ceiling, maybe some on the wall.’ But there’s so much more to that,” she says.
Her point isn’t about downlights. It’s about the design process. Lighting decisions make more sense when they grow out of the architecture instead of driving it.
Downlights still have an important role to play, but they’re most effective when they’re used intentionally—marking circulation routes, drawing attention to architectural features or supporting specific tasks. Used everywhere, they lose much of that impact.
A less crowded ceiling also gives the architecture room to speak for itself.
5. Designing for experience
Many lighting practices discussed prioritize consistency. Even light levels, predictable layouts, and uniform spacing are easy to document and defend during the design process.
People, however, don’t experience buildings that way. We remember the places that feel inviting, comfortable or dramatic—not ones where every surface receives the same amount of light.
This shift in thinking is changing the way designers approach commercial projects. Instead of asking how to make every area look the same, they’re thinking about where people gather, where they focus and how lighting can reinforce individual, unique experiences.
The right solution depends on what one is doing in the space. A workplace, a hotel, and a healthcare facility place different demands on people, so it makes sense that they require different approaches to lighting as well.
Workplace strategist and interior designer Kay Sargent, FASID, FIIDA, director of thought leadership for interiors at HOK, says lighting affects more than visibility alone. Proper lighting design influences employee well-being, mood, and cognitive performance. Access to daylight and circadian lighting helps regulate sleep-wake cycles, while harsh lighting often contributes to fatigue and discomfort.
For Sargent, one recommendation stands above the rest:
“Granting employees personal control over their lighting remains the most effective strategy for maximizing comfort and productivity.”
Giving people more control reflects a broader shift in workplace design. Rather than expecting one lighting solution to serve everyone equally well, designers are recognizing that different people—and different tasks—often require different environments.
For Marlon Blackwell, the conversation extends well beyond workplaces. He points to museums and cathedrals, where light is carefully shaped to create an emotional response rather than simply illuminate a room.
“You don’t see the source of the light—you see the reflection of light. I think that’s more powerful.”
He wonders why those same ideas don’t apply elsewhere.
“Why couldn’t we have that in a doctor’s office? Or a bank?”
Listening to Marlon Blackwell, it’s clear he isn’t drawing a distinction between cultural buildings and commercial ones. He sees the same opportunities for restraint, reflected light, and atmosphere in places people visit every day.
When discussing wellness and restorative spaces, Marlon Blackwell puts it simply:
“To me, that is all about the light.”
6. Rethinking commercial lighting
None of these challenges are new. Many persist because they’re familiar. The easiest lighting solution isn’t always the best one, and habits have a way of carrying from one project to the next.
Designers also have options they did not have a decade ago. Tunable fixtures, sophisticated controls and compact luminaires provide greater flexibility than earlier generations of lighting systems. But throughout my conversations, neither Marlon and Ati Blackwell nor Kay Sargent suggested that better commercial lighting begins with better technology. They argued that it begins with a different way of thinking.
For Marlon Blackwell, that means considering lighting as part of the architecture from the beginning rather than something layered onto a finished design. For Kay Sargent, it means creating environments that respond to the people using them, giving occupants greater comfort and control throughout the day.
In the end, the conversation kept circling back to the same observation that stayed with Marlon Blackwell after hearing James Turrell speak years ago. Commercial spaces don’t necessarily need more light. They need light that’s used with greater purpose.
