This Lighting Designer Has Worked With Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, and Oprah Winfrey — This Is the 'Understated' Fixture Your Home Is Missing, He Says

In his foreword to Nathan Orsman's debut monograph, Light: Illuminated Interiors and Architecture, trailblazing fashion designer Marc Jacobs writes: "I once visited a house designed by one of my dear friends, the late Paul Fortune, and everything in it was perfect, so comfortable and stylish, bathed in this light that made everything feel positively cinematic. I realized, that's how life should be: you should always feel like you're in the perfect still from the movie of your life. That's what Nathan helped us create."

It is a statement that confirms what the Australian designer, the founding principal of namesake interior and architecture lighting practice Orsman Design, which counts Jacobs and fellow A-listers Oprah Winfrey, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ina Garten among its clients and has collaborated with stellar industry staples like Kelly Behun, Ashe Leandro, Gil Schafer, and Steven Gambrel, has been trying to tell us since 2009, when the studio launched — that lighting holds the power to make us travel through space, time, and, yes, even fantasy.

As Light: Illuminated Interiors and Architecture, a first-of-its-kind, 320-page visual survey of Orsman's projects across cinematic homes, gardens, and commercial spaces, co-authored with architecture critic Ian Volner and published by Rizzoli, releases September 29, we sat down with the Sydney talent and asked him to share an underestimated trick that can make his moody yet sophisticated schemes more easily achievable by all. A hint: it all comes down to (creative) direction.

Nathan Orsman

Founding principal Nathan Orsman is a highly regarded architectural and landscape lighting designer with a global reputation for exceptional work. Leading a team of 50 talented individuals across offices in New York City, Southampton, and Miami, Nathan and Orsman Design consistently deliver transformative lighting that enhances the beauty and emotion of residential, commercial, wellness, and art spaces, as well as landscapes. Orsman Design focuses on the artistry of light, ensuring that each project they undertake becomes a testament to the profound effect light and dark can have on any space.  

Light and dark as transformative elements are evident throughout Orsman Design's extensive portfolio. Nathan works hand-in-hand with leading architects and interior designers, bringing together diverse creative perspectives that enable the exploration of innovative approaches to lighting design. By combining their expertise, Orsman Design and its collaborators create spaces of refined luxury tailored to each client's experience.

As the Lighting Designer for Some of the World's Leading Tastemakers, What's One Lighting Trend You Think Is Coming Back?

"I'm particularly interested in the return of the monopoint. It isn't a new idea, but the technology has become so much more refined. The fixtures are now incredibly small, with connections that nearly disappear into the ceiling. Some can even be added when needed and removed afterward, leaving very little behind.

"What I love is the control they give you. A downlight tends to illuminate a space more generally, while a monopoint lets you place light exactly where you want it, keeping the source out of the eye while creating contrast, depth, and a little drama.

"The best spaces have a quality that is difficult to describe. Nothing calls attention to itself; nothing feels wrong or missing. The whole environment just feels incredibly right. That search for visual calm has been a constant throughout my career, and I think the new generation of monopoints gives us another very beautiful tool for achieving it."

What Makes the Monopoint an Especially Desirable Feature to Include in Your Home Right Now?

"The return of the monopoint feels closely connected to the way interiors are being designed today. There is a real desire for more restrained ceilings and fewer visible fixtures, but also for lighting that feels layered, flexible, and intentional. Their small scale keeps the ceiling visually quiet, while the adjustable light lets you highlight art, architecture, or specific areas of a room with precision.

"Advances in LED technology have made this possible, but they have also introduced far more variables. Color temperature, color rendering, optics, dimming, and consistency all matter, and two products with the same specifications can still produce very different light. In our practice, we test and compare products side by side in our Light Lab. For a homeowner, it might be as simple as trying one lamp before committing to 50.

"That flexibility is especially relevant now, as rooms are expected to change and evolve. A monopoint can be adjusted, added, or removed without redesigning the entire ceiling, allowing the lighting to respond to the space while remaining considered."

What Are Some of the Concrete Ways Monopoints Are Integrated in Your Projects — And to Which Effect?

"We use monopoints to focus light on art, sculpture, tabletops, and architectural details where a conventional downlight would be too broad. Because monopoints can be aimed so precisely, we can build contrast into a room and give individual elements their own presence without lighting everything equally.

"I started using them early in my career, when the fixtures were considerably larger and clunkier. Some clients and designers are still initially hesitant about having something hanging slightly below the ceiling, which I completely understand. But today's monopoints are so small and refined that they can feel like an intentional part of the design.

"The real turning point is seeing them at night. Once clients and designers experience how focused and dimensional the light feels, that hesitation usually disappears. After completing a house with them, many of the designers we work with become very receptive to using them again."

What's More General Piece of Advice You'd Give to People Wanting to Get More Intentional With Lighting?

"The biggest takeaway is to think about light and how it interacts with the space. Pay attention to where it falls, how it plays across different surfaces, and most importantly, how it makes you feel in the room. Don't choose a fixture only because it looks good in a catalogue or technically produces enough light.

"We think of lighting as painting with light. It allows you to decide what should be illuminated, what should remain quieter, and where the eye should travel. That balance of light and shadow is what gives a room atmosphere, depth, and a sense of calm.

"Practically, the advice is very simple: look, test and compare. Try a fixture or lamp in the actual space before committing to it, and experience it at different times of day. Technical specifications are useful, but your eye will often tell you what the numbers cannot."

Nathan Orsman's Light: Illuminated Interiors and Architecture is out September 29.

Feel like revisiting some of our previous interviews with designers to take notes on their hot takes? Write down the four questions designer Brigitta Spinocchia Freund always asks her clients that hold the secret to a home that's "rich, personal, and full of interest", or pick up advice for an artful restyle from leading collectors Friedrich and Johanna Gräfling.

For more reflections on the interior space, but not like you know it, explore our ongoing series, The Meaning of Home, for long reads crafted with care to be enjoyed slowly over tea or coffee. Subscribe to our newsletter today to ensure you are not missing any of our stories and become part of our community of culture pioneers, globetrotters, and tastemakers.