A Day in Berlin with Lighting Designer Sabine De Schutter

Belgian lighting designer Sabine De Schutter founded her eponymous Studio De Schutter in 2015 in Berlin. Studio De Schutter provides lighting design services from concept to final execution, and support during construction up to on-site adjustments and atmospheric fine-tuning. Many years of experience, curiosity, technical expertise and love for sustainable approaches characterize the design of all the studio's lighting projects. With this, Sabine’s day involves lighting tests, urban parks, and meetings for Women in Lighting.

7:00am: In the summer and so close to the summer solstice, by morning my bedroom is filled with light. I love waking up with the light and without or before my alarm. Usually, I start my day with a short burst of sport, just seven minutes or so, and ideally before my baby wakes up. During the pandemic I started this routine together with some friends and we motivate each other to do this every day. This little bit of movement in the morning makes all the difference.

8:30am: Time to prepare for work. I check my emails, my to-do's in Asana, and my calendar. There is quite a lot of variation between my days depending on our running projects. Some days are more focused on design and desk work, others days I'm more at project sites. We also have a lot of projects internationally, so I travel frequently.

9:00am: In the morning I usually plan my site visits. Today, I check the progress of a lighting installation and go through any issues the installers might have. This project has to go very quickly. In only four days our client wants to have this office ready. This is only possible because, our client Full Node, is reusing fixtures from their previous space, which we also designed back in 2018. Full Node had to leave their previous space due to issues with the building. A large portion of the lighting wouldn't fit in their new, smaller office space. I took it upon myself to prevent these fixtures from going to waste and reached out to my network through which many of the lighting elements found new homes. The lighting is now upcycled, in amongst others, a restaurant and other office spaces.

Reuse in the building and construction industry is a fairly new topic and implementing used materials requires a bit more coordination. Just a few weeks ago I shared my experience on circularity in lighting design at TEDxBerlin. That was an exciting experience!

12:00pm: Heading back to our studio in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Wherever I can, I take my bike as I love moving and being outside, a habit I kept since growing up in Antwerp. Berlin is also an enjoyable city to bike in. Our studio is located in one of the typical old industrial buildings hidden away from the busy main street.

2:00pm: During our team meetings, we speak about our projects and brainstorm solutions and concepts. We find that doing lighting tests and mock-ups help us to communicate our ideas. As lighting design is about shaping perception, experience and atmosphere; communicating those effects is crucial to check with the client and the architectural team if the lighting is creating the desired effect.

4:00pm: Today I have a few calls scheduled for the organisation of a Women in Lighting event in Berlin in a few weeks. Women in Lighting is a worldwide network that promotes the visibility of women and inclusivity in general in the lighting industry. I'm the ambassador for Women in Lighting in Germany. I find networks like these important. We now see see more mixed panel discussions and female speakers at conferences.

5:00pm: After work, I'm often at Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport and now urban park. I love being outside in nature, but I also love the excitement and convenience of a city. Berlin has both.

8:00pm: As the founder my work feels never done. After dinner, I often sit at my computer again to review drawings. Also, working hours as a lighting consultant can get quite late, as sometimes we need to wait until sunset to do lighting tests or fine-tune the lighting scenes at a location. This fine-tuning is crucial part of our job to get the atmosphere right for daytime and evenings, especially in hospitality projects.

11:00pm: The day usually ends with listening to a podcasts, often about the news, like The Daily. I know that blue lighting is bad for your circadian rhythm and the production of melatonin, so I try to avoid screens before bedtime.