Dolphin Square Reimagined: Heritage, Architecture and Atmosphere in Light
Posted by: electime 12th May 2026
Built in the late 1930s in a distinctive neo-Georgian style, Dolphin Square is the UK’s largest privately owned apartment complex and a long-standing London icon. Recently, the building has undergone a major refurbishment by GRID Architects, bringing its historic character into dialogue with modern living, comfort, and amenity. The project transforms both the apartments and the communal spaces, creating environments that are bright and welcoming by day and dramatically atmospheric by night.
At the heart of this transformation is a striking double-height entrance lobby with a central reception atrium that flows into dining, meeting, and workspace areas. DesignPlusLight played a key role in reimagining the lighting throughout the building, carefully balancing heritage and contemporary design. By day, the atrium is bathed in natural light, but after dusk, the lighting guides the eye along the staircase to the reception area, and up to the softly illuminated skylights above, creating a captivating visual journey.
The North entrance was reconfigured by cutting through the first-floor slab to establish a more expansive double-height arrival and circulation area. Two staircases wrap around central lift cores clad in fluted timber panelling, highlighted by linear wall-graze lights that accentuate the warm tones of the oak. Lighting beneath the stairs provides the impression of floating structures while softly illuminating the planting below. Wall washers and floor uplights were strategically positioned to frame sightlines through the space, guiding visitors from the entrance to reception and onward into the building.
The refurbishment also reinstated the grandeur of the riverside entrance, which had been overshadowed following the arrival of Pimlico Underground Station in the 1970s. DesignPlusLight’s lighting enhances the façade with wall-washer downlights and floor uplights that accentuate the bronze arches.
New workspaces and a café terrace open onto the Grade II-listed Moroccan Garden, where DesignPlusLight introduced lighting that provides an ambient glow along with focused task lighting, complemented by subtle uplighting to bronze cladding that balances warmth and visual interest while connecting the interior to the landscaped surroundings.
Through this careful and considered lighting design, DesignPlusLight has aided Dolphin Square in revealing its heritage, enhancing its architecture, and creating memorable experiences. From dramatic arrival moments to intimate garden terraces, the lighting demonstrates how skilful design can transform atmosphere, support modern living, and honour the building’s 1930s character.
Sanjit Bahra, Principal of DesignPlusLight, said, “Rather than treating lighting as a series of isolated moments, the scheme was designed as a continuous journey, where the emphasis of light and shadow subtly shifts as people move through the building, creating a calm and richly layered experience.”
Credits
Client: Dolphin Square Operator Limited
Architect: GRID Architects
Interior Design: GRID Interiors
Contractor: Galliford Try
Lighting Design and Photography: DesignPlusLight
Lighting Manufacturers: RCL Lighting, Lucent, O/M Lighting, Phos, Architectural FX, Stoane Lighting, DGA
Lighting Controls: Zumtobel
