As it’s been a year since she joined 3LR Lighting, we sat down with our In-House Architectural Lighting Designer Karoliina Helin to discuss what led her to the company, what she enjoys most about her role along with her continued passion for lighting.
I accidentally found myself working in lighting…
Which seems to be the case for so many others! I was raised in Finland and came to the UK to study at university. I graduated with BA (Hons) in Interior Architecture from the University of the West of England and practically straight after started working as a junior lighting designer at a Bristolian lighting design company called Re:light ltd.
The majority of my knowledge has come from ‘being on the job’…
I learned so much in my early career by simply working on projects and seeing the impact light can have first-hand. What really fascinated me was the way light could completely change a space – and how even the dullest room could be made exciting through the right use of lighting. I also recognised early on the emotional impact that lighting can have – which obviously is something that sits at the core of 3LR.
My journey to 3LR has been a natural one…
I first came across Matthew Lloyd, 3LR’s Managing Director, back in 2020 when I was working at Satore Studio in Cardiff. He’d asked me to create a DiaLux drawing for a project he was working on and it was clear he was just as passionate about lighting as I was. After I left Satore, I became a freelance lighting designer for a while though when Matt informed me they had a full-time position available at 3LR, I couldn’t say no. Looking back, I think I’ve now worked with him on over 200 projects, both as a freelancer and a full-time employee of 3LR; with some of these including the National Theatre in London and the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.
I’m 3LR’s In-House Architectural Lighting Designer…
What this means is that I get to help our customers bring their lighting vision to life. I create brand-new lighting layouts for spaces both old and new, devise plans that replace the lighting of an existing layout, create a design that brings the lighting in a space up to a modern standard as well as offer lighting calculations and DiaLUX drawings. In my time here, I’ve also helped us achieved emergency lighting certification in the forms of BSI and BAFE; meaning this is something we can now offer clients.
It’s not all just about theatre…
Whilst the world of theatre obviously plays a huge role in what we do, I also get to work in lots of other markets, such as maritime, heritage, residential as well as special projects such as immersive experiences. I also love the fact that my job allows me to travel to the various international lighting exhibitions, such as Showlight, PLASA and Lighting Expo. Not only do these events allow me to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements within the industry but I also get to meet clients face-to-face which is one of the highlights of my role.
The thing I love most about working at 3LR is the people…
I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by such a brilliant team of colleagues; all of whom are working towards the same goal of using ‘lighting by emotion’ to transform spaces. We’re a truly collaborative bunch with a whole variety of expertise and it’s an absolute joy to bring these together and deliver a lighting service to our customers that they simply wouldn’t receive anywhere else.
