Guest Sleep
& Lighting Performance
We identify where lighting is quietly reducing guest sleep quality — and how to improve it through precise, measurable adjustments.
About us
Studio Von Der Liebl is an architectural lighting consultancy working across hospitality, residential, and commercial sectors. The practice integrates sustainability, circadian awareness, and human-centred performance into precise, restrained lighting strategies aligned with architectural intent and material expression.
Founded in Australia in 2014 following its founder's Fabio Von Der Liebl's studies in Melbourne, the studio began as an interior design practice. Early residential projects in Florianópolis, Brazil, established a holistic approach grounded in materiality and spatial rhythm. Relocation to São Paulo expanded this foundation through further study in design thinking and architectural lighting, leading to national work across Brazil and a refined focus on lighting as a defining spatial discipline.
In 2016, Victor Drummond joined the studio, bringing extensive experience in luxury brand strategy, international marketing, and cultural positioning. His background across global luxury and institutional sectors strengthened the studio’s strategic outlook, reinforcing its ability to operate within high-end residential and hospitality markets with precision and discretion.
In 2022, the practice transitioned exclusively to architectural lighting consultancy, sharpening its methodology toward measurable performance, visual comfort, and long-term environmental responsibility. Today, Studio Von Der Liebl operates internationally, with presence across Brazil and Europe.
Lighting is treated as an invisible layer of architecture — shaping atmosphere and perception without excess. Projects develop through spatial analysis, calibrated modelling, and technical coordination to ensure visual clarity, energy efficiency, and system resilience.
Research informs each stage, including spectral calibration, melanopic awareness, glare control, and sustainable specification. Advanced digital tools support scenario testing and adaptive control strategies across complex environments.
Lighting is not decorative.
It is architectural intelligence — deliberate, measured, and nothing in excess.
Meet the founders
Our Offices
London, United Kingdom
Lisbon, Portugal
Sāo Paulo, Rio de Janeiro & Santa Catarina, Brazil
Studio
Studio Von Der Liebl is an architectural lighting consultancy grounded in precision, restraint, and measurable performance. The practice operates at the intersection of spatial intelligence, environmental responsibility, and human physiology — shaping lighting as an integrated architectural system rather than an applied layer.
Approach
Lighting as Spatial Moderator
Light is treated as a spatial moderator — guiding focus, reinforcing hierarchy, and shaping atmosphere without visual excess. Rather than decorative emphasis, the studio prioritises calibration: contrast ratios, spectral balance, glare control, and spatial rhythm.Lighting is integrated into architecture and materiality from the earliest stages of design, ensuring coherence between form, surface, and illumination.
Evidence-Based Design
Design decisions are informed by research in visual perception, circadian science, and environmental psychology. Spectral rendering, melanopic impact, flicker mitigation, and colour fidelity are considered alongside functional lux levels and architectural intent.Each project balances measurable performance with experiential clarity.
Integration Over Decoration
The studio does not approach lighting as ornament. It is embedded within ceilings, joinery, and architectural detail — supporting atmosphere while remaining visually disciplined.Restraint is not limitation; it is control.
Method
Concept
Spatial analysis establishes hierarchy, rhythm, and programme-based requirements. Early-stage strategy defines tone, contrast, and experiential transition across day and evening conditions.
Simulation & Lux Modelling
Digital modelling and lux calculations inform distribution, uniformity, vertical illuminance, and visual comfort. Beam angles and aiming studies are calibrated to eliminate glare and ensure precision.Controls Strategy
Digitally addressable control systems are specified to enable adaptive scene transitions, operational flexibility, and energy optimisation. Dimming curves, temporal shifts, and layered zoning are defined in alignment with programme and circadian considerations.On-Site Calibration
Final commissioning refines aiming, intensity, and scene balance. Calibration ensures the built environment reflects the intended spatial hierarchy and sensory experience.Lighting performance is measured, not assumed.
Sustainability Commitment
Longevity
Specifications prioritise long-life LED modules, high-efficacy performance, and systems designed for extended operational durability.Serviceability
Where possible, luminaires are selected for accessible maintenance, modular replacement, and long-term adaptability — reducing unnecessary material waste.Measured Environmental Performance
Energy efficiency, embodied impact, and lifecycle considerations inform specification. Lighting systems are designed to reduce operational load while supporting comfort, clarity, and wellbeing.Sustainability is embedded within technical decision-making — not appended as an afterthought.
Lighting is architectural intelligence — precise, integrated, and nothing in excess.
Services
Concept Lighting Strategy
Early-stage spatial analysis defining hierarchy, contrast, tone, and experiential transitions. Lighting strategy is developed in parallel with architecture to ensure integration from inception.Technical Lighting Design
Detailed luminaire selection, beam calibration, glare control, and coordination with architectural and engineering disciplines. Documentation supports buildability, compliance, and performance integrity.Daylight Integration
Analysis of orientation, seasonal variation, and interior reflectance to harmonise electric light with natural daylight conditions. Electric lighting is calibrated to complement, not compete.Control System Strategy
Digitally addressable lighting architectures enabling adaptive scene transitions, operational flexibility, and energy optimisation. Dimming curves and zoning strategies are defined in alignment with programme and circadian considerations.Performance Modelling
Lux calculations, vertical illuminance studies, and aiming simulations to ensure measurable visual comfort and spatial clarity. Performance is tested prior to construction.Sustainable Specification
Selection of high-efficacy, serviceable systems prioritising longevity, embodied responsibility, and reduced operational energy demand.Wellness-Centred Calibration
Spectral consideration, flicker mitigation, glare reduction, and evening melanopic awareness integrated to support comfort, restfulness, and perceptual balance.Contact
studio@vonderliebl.com+44 7435 878908
Fabio Von Der Liebl
Founder & Principal Lighting Designer