Chelsom create custom lighting for the iconic Mondrian London

Working in partnership with Tom Dixon Design Research Studio, lighting design and manufacturing company Chelsom has created a dramatic custom lighting scheme for the guestrooms and lobby area of the first ever Mondrian boutique hotel outside the US.

The interior scheme captures the essence of the original Sea Containers building, with a 1920s cruise ship glamour alongside contemporary twists and urbane design for which the Mondrian brand is known.

Chelsom were challenged with creating a distinctive custom-designed lighting scheme with post-modernism references, fusing cutting-edge design, functionality and energy efficiency.

In the rooms, matt black fittings with brass features accentuate the bold colour palette. Fixed to the headboard, wall lights feature oversized brass rotary dimmer switches and multi-directional teardrop heads with retrofit LED light sources housed behind a frosted glass lens to offer both reading and mood lighting in a soft white ambient tone. The desk lamps feature an oversized tubular head and statement brass rotary dimmer switch while the conical spun metal shades of the floor lamps are finished in brass and lined in white to provide a bold contrast while optimising light reflection.

In the entrance lobby Chelsom created a trio of triple tiered pendants in matt black and copper. At 3.5m each in diameter, these circular fittings are suspended from the ceiling by metal support rods to create the illusion that the sculptural pieces are floating in mid-air.

Chelsom also refurbished a series of more than 30 original Cliff Tribe wall lights dating back to the 1950s including double lights and triple pendants. The original Sea Containers fittings were taken off site and refurbished by a team of restoration experts at Chelsom's factory where they were cleaned, refinished and rewired to incorporate retrofit LED light sources making them compatible with the exacting energy requirements outlined in the brief.

"To have been commissioned by Maison Objet's Designer of the Year 2014, Tom Dixon, to be part of such a fantastic high profile project as the iconic Mondrian is a real honour and testimony to Chelsom's reputation within the industry," said managing director Robert Chelsom.

"This was a step into boutique design of the highest calibre and the way forward for modern hotel lighting and for Chelsom.

"Obviously a project of this scale and stature was not without its challenges but the opportunity to work with such a fantastic team on one of the best lighting schemes we have ever produced meant this was a real labour of love from start to finish and one we are all very proud to be part of."