Focus Lighting

Focus Lighting is an architectural lighting design firm based in New York City and founded by Paul Gregory in 1987. The firm works with architects, interior designers, developers, cultural institutions, retailers, hospitality operators, and public-sector clients to shape how buildings and spaces are experienced through light. Its work extends beyond decorative fixture selection: the company develops lighting concepts, technical systems, controls, environmental effects, and visual compositions intended to create atmosphere, guide movement, emphasize architecture, and produce an emotional response. The firm’s portfolio spans hotels, restaurants, residences, retail stores, museums, exhibitions, sports and entertainment venues, casinos, public spaces, and art installations. Projects associated with Focus Lighting include the Entel Tower in Santiago, the Atlantis Resort in Dubai, the Atmosphere venue at the Burj Khalifa, the Royalton and Dream hotels in New York, the Semiramis Hotel in Athens, the Mohegan casino complex in Connecticut, and retail environments for FAO Schwarz, Tourneau, Knoll, Frye, Proenza Schouler, and Toys “R” Us. Its cultural and exhibition work includes the Science Storms exhibition at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, the Space Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the MoMA Home Delivery exhibition. One of the firm’s most notable technical and public-facing projects was the exterior illumination of Santiago’s Entel Tower. The project is described as the first automated color-changing exterior lighting display in the world and the first building to change colors automatically at night. The 40-story tower opened in October 1994, and its illumination became a prominent example of architectural lighting used as a civic and urban landmark feature. Focus Lighting also designed the Times Square Ball for its 100th and 101st anniversaries. The project later received a 2008 Lumen citation recognizing increased public awareness of LED technology. Other award-recognized work includes lighting for Morimoto, Mall at Millenia, the Carlos Miele store, FAO Schwarz, the Teatro Bar, the Royalton Hotel, Bourbon Steak, Aureole, YOTEL, and the Reflect installation at Miami’s Stephen P. Clark Government Center. The firm’s stated design philosophy centers on creating emotion with light. This positioning places Focus Lighting within the specialist professional-services sector rather than the consumer lighting-products market. Its value lies principally in concept development, architectural integration, visual storytelling, technical planning, and project delivery. Publicly available reference material identifies a broad international project footprint, but does not provide reliable information about current ownership, revenue, employee count, legal structure, or a separate consumer product brand. The company is therefore best understood as an independent architectural lighting consultancy and design practice whose reputation has been built through high-profile built-environment projects and professional design awards.

Focus Lighting was established in New York City in 1987 by Paul Gregory as an architectural lighting design practice. From its early work, the firm positioned lighting as an integral part of architecture and interior experience rather than as a purely functional layer. Its projects have addressed both interior environments and prominent exterior structures, with work ranging from restaurants and hotels to museums, retail stores, public installations, and entertainment venues. A major early milestone was the lighting design for Santiago’s Entel Tower. The 40-story tower opened in October 1994, and its exterior system is described as the world’s first automated color-changing exterior lighting display and the first building to change colors automatically at night. The project demonstrated how programmable lighting could turn a building into a dynamic nighttime landmark. It received a 1995 Lumen Award and a Waterbury Award of Excellence. During the late 1990s and 2000s, Focus Lighting expanded its portfolio across hospitality, gaming, retail, restaurants, and cultural environments. Recognized projects included Mohegan Casino, Best Cellars, the ID Magazine exhibition, Morimoto, Town Restaurant, Mall at Millenia, Carlos Miele, Powder Deep Studios, FAO Schwarz, the Teatro Bar, and the Semiramis Hotel. The firm also worked on high-profile New York properties such as the Royalton Hotel, Le Cirque, the Plaza Hotel, and the Times Square Ball. The practice continued into large-scale international and experiential work. Its portfolio included the Atlantis Resort in Dubai, the Atmosphere venue at the Burj Khalifa, One&Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas, the Condado Plaza Hotel in Puerto Rico, the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach, and the Semiramis Hotels in Athens. In retail and branded environments, it designed or contributed to projects for Knoll, Tourneau, Proenza Schouler, Frye, Toys “R” Us Times Square, and other flagship or destination stores. Focus Lighting’s cultural and public work includes exhibition and installation lighting for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the Museum of Modern Art’s Home Delivery exhibition, and the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami. The Science Storms exhibition received both IALD and Lumen recognition in 2011. The firm’s design for the Space Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid received an AL Light & Architecture Design Award in 2013, while the Reflect installation received an IES Award of Excellence the same year. The Times Square Ball became another visible chapter in the firm’s history. Focus Lighting designed the ball for the 100th and 101st anniversaries, and the project received a 2008 Lumen citation for increasing public awareness of LEDs. This work reflected the firm’s broader interest in combining architectural identity, public spectacle, and evolving lighting technology. Across its documented work, the firm has maintained a design philosophy centered on creating emotion with light. Its history is therefore defined less by mass-market products than by commissioned design services and project-based collaborations. Public reference material confirms continued activity and a broad portfolio, but does not establish current ownership, leadership beyond the founder, corporate structure, or financial information.

• 2013

  Reflect and Space Shuttle Pavilion recognized

  [1]Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org

  The Reflect installation received an IES Award of Excellence, while the Space Shuttle Pavilion received an AL Light & Architecture Design Award.

• 2011

  Science Storms receives professional awards

  [1]Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org

  Focus Lighting’s work for Science Storms at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry received both IALD and Lumen recognition.

• 2008

  Times Square Ball receives LED-awareness citation

  [1]Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org

  The Times Square Ball project received a Lumen citation recognizing its role in increasing public awareness of LED technology.

• 1995

  Entel Tower receives major lighting recognition

  [1]Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org

  The Entel Tower project received a Lumen Award and the Waterbury Award of Excellence.

• 1994

  Entel Tower illumination completed

  [1]Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org

  The 40-story Entel Tower in Santiago opened with an automated exterior color-changing lighting system associated with Focus Lighting.

• 1987

  Firm founded in New York City

  [1]Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Gregory founded Focus Lighting as an architectural lighting design firm.

A specialist architectural lighting design practice focused on using light to create emotion, atmosphere, orientation, and architectural identity across hospitality, retail, cultural, residential, entertainment, and public environments.

• Professional services · 1987

  Architectural lighting design services

  Focus Lighting’s core offering is commissioned architectural lighting design. The practice develops lighting concepts and technical approaches for buildings and interiors, integrating illumination with architecture, circulation, materials, branding, and the desired emotional character of a space. Its documented work covers hospitality, retail, residential, cultural, public, entertainment, and landmark projects.

• Hospitality design

  Hospitality and restaurant lighting

  The firm has designed lighting for hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, and food halls. Referenced projects include the Atlantis Resort, Atmosphere at the Burj Khalifa, the Royalton Hotel, Dream Hotel, Semiramis Hotel, Morimoto, Aureole, Bourbon Steak, Le Cirque, and the Plaza Hotel’s food and retail areas. These projects use light to establish mood, hierarchy, intimacy, and guest orientation.

• Cultural and exhibition design

  Museum and exhibition lighting

  Focus Lighting provides lighting for museums, exhibitions, and interpretive environments. Documented examples include Science Storms at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, the Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the Space Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and the MoMA Home Delivery exhibition.

• Retail design

  Retail and flagship-store lighting

  The firm designs lighting environments for retail stores and branded commercial spaces. Its documented portfolio includes FAO Schwarz, Tourneau, Knoll showrooms, Frye, Proenza Schouler, Toys “R” Us Times Square, Carlos Miele, and the Mall at Millenia. The work supports product presentation, customer movement, brand identity, and the creation of destination interiors.

• Exterior and public-realm lighting

  Public and landmark illumination

  Focus Lighting undertakes exterior, public-space, and landmark lighting projects, including the Entel Tower, the Times Square Ball, Klyde Warren Park, and the Reflect installation at Miami’s Stephen P. Clark Government Center. These projects combine architectural emphasis, public visibility, programmable effects, and nighttime identity.

1. 1Focus Lightingen.wikipedia.org