The Studio
A small studio, on purpose.
LUMEN was founded on the idea that a building is a series of decisions, and every one of them deserves the same attention. We stay small so that discipline holds.
Approach
01
Restraint
Every material and gesture has to earn its place. If a project works without it, it doesn’t belong.
02
Material Honesty
Stone reads as stone, timber as timber. We let materials age the way they were meant to.
03
Light First
Every plan begins with the sun’s path, not the floor area. Rooms are drawn around how light moves.
04
Built to Last
We design for decades, not launches. Longevity is the only sustainability that matters.
Mira Solberg
Founding Principal — Architecture. Fifteen years designing buildings that know when to stop. Trained in Lisbon, shaped by Cape Town light.
Theo Marchetti
Founding Principal — Interiors. Believes a room is finished when nothing more can be taken away. Obsessed with joinery and the patina of use.
2011
Founded
64
Projects Completed
18
Team Members
2
Studios — Cape Town, Lisbon
Within the Studio
Team
The people behind the practice — architects, interior designers, and the makers who bring each project to life.
Careers
Open roles for those who care as much about the seam as the silhouette. We hire slowly and rarely.
Press
Coverage, features, and the occasional award. A record of how the work has been received.
We take on a small number of projects each year so every one gets our full attention.