PHT Lighting Design

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PHT Lighting Design

PHT Lighting Design strives to craft creative and innovative illumination for architectural and urban environment.

09/21/2026

The Martha Graham Dance Company — the oldest dance troupe in America — has spent decades as what the NYT describes as "vagabonds," rehearsing in ballrooms, salsa studios, wherever space could be found. This week in their centennial year, they cut the ribbon on 21,000 square feet of their own on the 11th floor of the Paramount Building in Times Square.

We were proud to design the lighting for this extraordinary space. MBB Architects stripped away false floors and uncovered hidden skylights — revealing a gem that had been buried under a rabbit warren of low-ceilinged offices. Our lighting honors that openness: bright, clean studio light that serves the dancers first, with one studio designed to transform into a full performance space with theatrical lighting capability.

"There is nothing more important to dancers than space," said artistic director Janet Eilber. We'd add: and nothing more important to a space than light.

Congratulations to the Martha Graham Dance Company on this milestone. As the New York Times covered last week, this is more than a new address — it's a testament to a legacy that has shaped how the world understands movement.

Architect and Photography: mbbarchitects

www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/realestate/martha-graham-dance-performance-space.html

09/15/2026

Trevor Day School — Upper West Side, NYC

The brief: transform this plain white box with exposed ceiling grid into an elegant space that transitions seamlessly from daily gym classes to high-end community event rentals.

Direct-indirect lighting integrates with the architect’s felt ceiling system to create a comfortable, acoustically tuned environment. The theatrical rigging is now concealed within the ceiling, dropping down only when needed for special events.

A flexible lighting solution designed to support both everyday school life and after-hours gatherings, just in time for the new school year.

Architect: .nyc
Photos by PHT Lighting

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08/31/2026

We had the pleasure of joining two leading design firm executives for an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the science and manufacturing of LED lighting at Ketra headquarters.
Huge thanks to the team at Lutron Electronics for their incredible hospitality—seeing their innovation and precision up close was nothing short of inspiring! 💡✨

08/18/2026

The two buildings at 169 and 181 Henry Street have lived many lives—from ice cream production and scientific glassware manufacturing, to warehouse and shipping. Today, they form NXTHVN: a 40,000SF hub for artist studios, exhibitions, coworking spaces and community programming.

The lighting approach was to support this transformation without erasing the past. Suspended linear fixtures reference the fluorescent tubes once used in the buildings’ industrial years—but are now energy-efficient LEDs, delivering soft, even ambient light suited for creative work. The industrial language remains, while the experience is entirely redefined. In the exhibition spaces, a flexible track lighting system allows for a wide range of artwork and curatorial setups.

Architect: tenberke_architects
Photographer: chriscooperphotographer

08/04/2026

What do all dental patients stare at? ...The ceiling!

Instead of a typical 2x2 grid ceiling, this dental office features a custom organic screen—designed by the dentist’s husband, an industrial designer—to create something engaging to look up at. Concealed uplights in the cavity above the screen wash the concrete slab, hiding ducts and infrastructure while casting the screen’s pattern as shadow against a soft glow.

The uplighting is tuned with a subtle purple hue—cool and calming, but warm enough to play nicely with the bold red dots dancing across the dividers. Below, crisp white downlights precisely illuminate sinks and workstations for clarity and function, while admin areas remain clean and neutral.

A layered approach—turning a typically overlooked surface into the focal point. ✨🦷

Architect: H2M Architects
Photographer: paul_warchol

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07/21/2026

Rising thirty stories above Manhattan, The Dylan was designed as an intimate retreat — only six homes per floor, a sanctuary above the noise. Our lighting carries that intention through every amenity space.

It begins at the entrance, where walls grazed with soft light create a tunnel effect — drawing you in, orienting you, slowing you down before the lobby opens up. There, a skylight offers an unexpected upward view of the full height of the tower, and a 13' high floor-to-ceiling vertical cove reads like a window, further opening the enclosed space. The effect is dramatic and calm at once — a deliberate pause before the elevator zone takes you home.

The gym shifts register entirely. Brighter, more energetic illumination signals the change in purpose. The basketball court is evenly lit for performance, with fixtures encased in industrial-style boxes, protecting the lights from errant three-pointers.

Then the sky deck: warm, unhurried light for grilling and lounging, the Empire State Building presiding above.

Architect:
Photographer

07/07/2026

The 70-seat space is inspired by Monterrey, Mexico—the hometown of both the chef and the owner—and features a sculptural installation behind the bar that evokes Monterrey’s mountain range. Hidden deep within each layer of wood paneling are LEDs that follow the curves of the mountains – no visible bulbs, no harsh sources – just light washing smoothly across the layers, creating depth and distance. Multiple mockups were needed to perfect the balance of shadow and glow, so it feels less like a lighting feature and more like a horizon.

The fixtures in the dining area run on a system, allowing each light to be individually tuned for warmth and color saturation. The room reads invitingly warm, but individual elements are dialed up to cut through: greenery that glows with vivid life, textures and materials catching the light in ways that feel both surprising and intentional.

Architect:
Photography:

06/23/2026

Lighting plays a key role in reactivating this 1887 masonry structure at the heart of Pratt’s campus. ’s renovation highlights the historic volume while supporting a flexible, social interior for students.

Indirect uplights at the base of the exposed roof structure wash the sloped ceiling, turning it into a luminous focal plane and making the vast volume legible. Below, small-aperture, low-glare downlights provide comfortable ambient light across open gathering areas and the stepped “piazza,” and flexible lighting for daily concerts, lectures, and evening galas. A subtle grazer traces the underside of the wood trusses, bringing out texture and depth without distraction.

Layered together, the lighting balances performance and atmosphere, revealing the building’s history while creating a space that encourages interaction and chance meetings.

At the entrance, the words "Student Union" are legible as shadow by day — heavy-gauge metal letters cut away from the facade. By night, they glow from the activity within.

Photographer:

06/04/2026

A space that has hosted Zadie Smith, Richard Dawkins, John Cleese, Elizabeth Gilbert, César Aira and Jeffrey Eugenides deserves more than fluorescent tubes and track lighting. But it also runs on a real-world budget — which meant every decision had to work harder.

The guiding idea for Greenlight Bookstore was large luminous volumes rather than many small point sources. A room full of competing bright spots creates visual noise — the opposite of what a browser, a reader, or an audience needs. Working closely with fredericktangarchitecture, we built a full-scale mockup of the faux skylight coves in his office — testing the quality of light before committing to the ceiling. The result is a narrow storefront that, despite limited natural light, feels warm, generous and without edge.

05/27/2026

This prewar penthouse had a terrace on all four sides — and almost no connection to it. The original apartment was locked away from its own light and air.

The renovation by Tinmouth Chang Architect changed that. Walls came down, windows grew, and suddenly the exterior views were present from the moment you stepped off the elevator. Our lighting followed that same logic of openness and continuity. Every available cavity between the structural ceiling beams was used to integrate light coves and recessed downlights — allowing the ceiling to read as simple and uninterrupted, a calm plane above a newly open plan.

A single light cove runs the full length of the combined living and dining room, unifying the great room while reinforcing its connection to the exterior dining terrace beyond. In the master suite, the bedroom extends outward to a secret garden enclosed by vertical plantings — and cascading waterfalls of light wash down the green wall, creating a soft, soothing threshold between the interior retreat and the city below.

Architect: jtinmouth
Landscape Architect: Marpillero Pollak Architects
Photography: mmoranphoto

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480 Central Park West
New York, NY
10025

Website

https://www.phtlighting.com/

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