For this residential project with Fiona Watkins Design, the brief was clear: a bespoke lighting installation that didn’t just fill the space, but transformed it. What followed was a carefully considered Alton installation, designed, fabricated and installed entirely around the architecture of the stairwell and the way the client wanted to experience it.
We were approached by Fiona Watkins Design back in July of 2025 in regards to an Alton installation – a bespoke Alton pendant installation for a residential property, to be suspended in a stairwell. The installation method was a key factor of this particular project, and in the end we decided to go with an individual pendant installation rather than using a bespoke canopy, as there was access above and we had a lot more flexibility in terms of the installation. The design was finalised as three large Alton pendants suspended via 60mm ceiling plates. When the Alton was being discussed, there was a sense of an artistic installation, they wanted something that would really stand out – something that was totally unique, and different from a lot of the lighting fittings that are out on the market. The Alton really stood out to the client.”
– Rich, Lighting Designer
Product: Alton Lighting Collection
On the day of delivery, we actually delivered these long pendant lights ourselves and conducted the installation. There was an electrician on-site to finalise the electrical connection, and sign all of the work off. The client was incredibly happy
– Rich, Lighting Designer
Callum and James installed the fittings one by one, starting with the shortest. Because of their scale, each pendant had been designed in modular sections, allowing them to be assembled carefully on site. As each piece came together, sections were passed up and fixed into place from the scaffolding tower.
Once everything was installed, the team cleaned down thoroughly. Drilling always creates dust, but by the time the next trades arrived, the space was already hoovered, wiped and fully working – left exactly as we’d want our own homes to be.
Once the installation was complete, and the client came out of the living room for the big reveal, she was absolutely over-the-moon, and was very happy – felt like this was something that could’ve been seen in a museum as an art piece rather than just a luminaire. And with the dimming controls that you get with the Alton, it can be truly designed, specified and fabricated in a way that is totally unique to the client’s space.
– Rich, Lighting Designer
This project is a perfect example of what bespoke lighting can be when design, engineering and installation are treated as one complete process. By responding to the practical challenges of the stairwell – access, suspension, scale and control – the Alton installation became more than a lighting solution. It became a focal point, an experience, and something deeply personal to the space it inhabits.
Lighting like this doesn’t come from a catalogue. It comes from collaboration, careful problem-solving, and the freedom to design without compromise.
