The Magic of Light: A Conversation with Sally Storey
When you step into a beautifully lit space, you might not immediately notice the lights themselves. Instead, you feel it — the warmth, the atmosphere, the subtle shift in your mood. Few people understand this invisible power better than Sally Storey, one of the world’s leading architectural lighting designers and a true pioneer of the industry.
As Founding Director of Lighting Design International and Creative Director at John Cullen Lighting, Sally has shaped some of the world’s most iconic spaces — from luxury hotels like The Berkeley and Hotel Hermitage Monaco, to retail landmarks such as Harrods, and private residences for household names, including David Bowie’s New York apartment. She has also authored the influential book Inspired by Light: A Design Guide to Transforming the Home, helping everyday people bring professional lighting insight into their own spaces.
Light as Emotion
For Sally, lighting is far more than technical detail — it is emotion in physical form. “Light is something you feel,” she explains. “It can make you feel alive, it can calm you, and it can completely change your relationship with a space.”
From residential interiors to superyachts, Sally designs with one question in mind: How should this space feel? That might mean theatrical drama, subtle intimacy, or crisp clarity depending on the client and context.
The Evolution of an Industry
Sally’s career tracks the revolutions of lighting technology itself. She recalls the halogen revolution, which allowed for the first wave of miniaturized fittings that could be discreetly integrated into homes. Later came LEDs, bringing energy efficiency, low heat, and even greater design freedom.
Today, she continues to experiment with ultra-miniature fixtures — tiny lights the size of a five-pence coin that can illuminate an object on a shelf or architectural detail with precision. Each leap in technology has expanded what’s possible, but for Sally, the mission remains the same: to create lighting that enhances human experience.
Wellbeing and the Rhythm of Light
In recent years, science has caught up with what designers like Sally have always known: light affects health and wellbeing. Our circadian rhythms are tuned to the natural cycle of dawn to dusk — warm at sunrise, cooler and brighter at midday, and warm again at night.
Yet, many of our interiors ignore this. Poor-quality LEDs, often too cold and flat, disrupt this balance. “People don’t realize how much bad lighting affects them,” Sally notes. “You might walk into a room and feel drained without understanding why.”
Her advice? Invest in high-quality, warm LEDs with a high CRI (Color Rendering Index) — ideally above 95% — to make colors, objects, and people look alive again.
Lighting for Everyone
You don’t need a superyacht budget to benefit from good lighting. Sally insists that even small changes can have transformative effects.
Replace harsh overhead pendants with dim-to-warm bulbs and dimmers.
Add low-level floor or table lamps for softer evening light.
Use uplights in corners or picture lights to create drama and depth.
One of her clients once swapped out an expensive kitchen plan for an IKEA kitchen paired with proper lighting — and the results looked high-end simply because the space was lit well.
🔥 Quick-Fire with Sally Storey
Lighting legend meets life’s big and little questions.
🌞 3 Things That Bring Joy
→ Natural light
→ Food & taste
→ Texture
💭 A Mantra to Live By
→ “Live for the moment.”
📚 Underrated Inspiration
→ Alvar Aalto – Finnish architect who sparked her journey
🎓 Something She Wants to Learn More About
→ “Everything.”
💪 How She Handles Disappointment
→ “Just solve it. If no one died, it’s not the end of the world.”
🧳 Bucket List Add-On
→ More holidays. Everywhere.
🧠 Advice to Her Younger Self
→ “Don’t worry so much.”
🌍 One Thing She’d Change in the World
→ Better communication — people need to really listen.
🎵 Iconic Moment
→ David Bowie invited her to sit on his couch and review his new album after lighting his NYC apartment.
The Takeaway
Whether lighting a superyacht, a luxury hotel, or a small urban flat, Sally Storey proves that light changes everything. It shapes mood, wellbeing, and connection — and when done well, it can make even the simplest space feel extraordinary.
As she puts it: “If you love what you do, and it brings joy every day, that’s more of a privilege than all the money in the world.”
