Let’s create deep beauty and magic for your space
Statement lighting pieces, light art, and lighting design that takes people’s breath away
Hi, I’m Karen Kuchel.
I create experiential and immersive statement lighting pieces for commercial, residential and outdoor spaces.
I work with light and its connection with materials, color and texture to elicit powerful feelings of delight, playfulness, glamor (and much more!)
Want more insight into my process? Download my case study of how I designed the lighting for the 9/11 Memorial in Hoboken:
Have you ever walked into a space and instantly felt at ease or in awe?
There’s something about certain spaces where they have an energy and a magic that transports, delights or wows.
I work with homeowners, offices, hotels, restaurants to help bring their spaces to life.
I also work with architecture and interior design firms to create special lighting pieces and installations that enhance their design.
Are you a creative spirit who wants something a bit different and customized for your space?
Whether that’s something innovative and playful, or a touch of luxury and glamor, you’re in the right place.
Maybe you have an idea for something that you want already, or maybe you have a space that you know needs something extra special. You may have some materials you want to use. Or you might not have any of that, but feel like this could be an opportunity to create something unique and inspirational for your home or business.
Wherever you’re at, I’ll help you go deeper and we’ll figure it out together.
What can you expect when you work with me?
An organic approach where we allow objects and spaces to speak to each other and to us, and where we let your space tell us what it needs to transform.
To have fun playing with and exploring the connections between light, materials, color and texture to uncover what’s perfect for your space. We’ll test materials and lights. We’ll mock things up and most likely make a few prototypes along the way.
I make some elements myself, primarily using wood and paper, and I also collaborate with artisans and engineers who work with lighting, wood, stone, metal and glass. I also experiment with making my own biomaterials.
I’m an artist and I find inspiration in the most unexpected places. It might seem random as we draw on different influences, but it will come together to be something unique that differentiates your space.
After a project is installed, we might need to do some final touches such as focusing lighting or programming controls.
What can I help you with?
I create:
custom lighting fixtures
custom lighting installations such as a chandelier or a feature wall
custom light-art pieces or light space art
landscape lighting
lighting and focusing for artworks
wholesale and bulk orders
Eight fun facts about me:
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1. I love lights, I love color, I love sparkle, I love texture and I love patterns. I love the way you shine a light on a purple wall, and the color resonance between the two transforms the purple into the most velvety, seductive experience, before you ever touch it. I love the way marble has colors you’ll never see, unless you find the right color of light. If you visit the mall at Columbus Circle on a sunny morning, you’ll see pops of the most vivid blue in the black stone floor. I’m not a shopper, but it makes my day every time.
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2. When I applied for grad school to study architecture, there were so many options and I didn’t know where to start. I closed my eyes and asked myself where do I want to live? The answer came straight away: New York. I applied to a few schools, but only received offers to schools in NYC. I ended up going to Parsons, because they also gave me a place in a lighting program, which I didn’t really know I’d applied for or even what it was – turns out, I like lighting a whole lot, and when I looked back at the portfolio I submitted, I had even designed a light!
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3. I love using simple but beautiful objects every day. My teapot is a work of art, as is my teacup. Sipping a cup of tea is one of my morning rituals and always a moment to savor.
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4. Similarly, I love spaces that feel good, both to the touch and the soul. There’s nothing like feeling the touch of perfectly honed concrete steps with a wooden riser under your feet, or the feeling of a beautifully crafted door knob. Then there’s that feeling when you come home for the day and put your feet up in the living room, and the gentle lighting and ambiance immediately cocoons you.
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5. I love the beach in winter. Sure I also like it in summer, early in the morning or late afternoon, on a tropical warm water beach with a jaw dropping sunset; but when I can’t get there, I still just love walking in the sand, listening and watching the waves and the birds. I love the play of light on the water. And as a bonus, it’s usually quiet, which is a welcome change of pace from NYC.
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6. I’m Australian. I’ve come to appreciate the Australian landscape and its muted colors, scents and the particular color of the sunlight, but it wasn’t always the way. I always preferred the rich greens of Europe and the stunning fall colors, until I came home from living in London and my parents had moved to the bush. I got to spend some time getting to know the soft grey greens and the burnt reds, and now I love them.
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7. I used to be a flutist (and cellist, violinist and pianist). Playing the flute has taken me around the world, and introduced me to so many amazing people. There’s nothing like the feeling of playing music with people, either in an orchestra, or chamber music. Playing music has been with me through some really intense periods in life and I always come back to music to listen and to dance. It’s such a joy in life to have good music around.
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8. I also love mathematics and economics and studied them at university. I think more people would love maths if they understood the magic: the patterns, the elegance; it’s really beautiful.
About Karen
Karen Kuchel is an Australian artist and lighting designer living in New York City with her husband and young son.
She studied architecture and architectural lighting design at Parsons The New School for Design. She also holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) and Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the University of Melbourne, and a Diploma for Graduates (Economics) from the London School of Economics.
Before coming to the United States, Karen worked as a management consultant at Accenture and business analyst.
Karen has won an IES Illumination Award of Merit for her work on the Hyatt Hotel Herald Square with PHT Lighting. She was one of 20 artists invited to create a gobo light projection for the Melbourne Festival of Light in 2013, and in that same year collaborated with CDR Studio Architects on an installation using deconstructed waste plastic bottles. In 2014, she won a competition to have several beach towel designs manufactured and sold by One Kings Lane.
Karen was the lighting designer for the 9/11 memorial in Hoboken and her insights were featured on NBC News New York.
She has a keen interest in using sustainable and recycled materials, as well as using materials that are good for our wellbeing. She is currently working on an artwork using recycled spectacles.
Karen is available for interior and exterior lighting design projects and for custom fixtures, light art and installations.
Want more insight into my process? Download my case study of how I designed the lighting for the 9/11 Memorial in Hoboken:
Contact
Karen Kuchel - Art & Lighting
353 W 48th St, Ste 357
New York NY 10036
Telephone: +1-347-322-3747
Photo credits: Karen Kuchel, James Mugg, Rajesh Kavasseri, Gayatri Malhotra