By Lindsay Field Penticuff
Fiona Grunwald credits her corporate life of traveling the globe as a human resources professional for helping shape her love and appreciation for light and design.
She was born and raised in Ireland, and after earning a degree in psychology from the University College Dublin had an opportunity to live all around the world in places like London, Sydney and Milan. Today, she lives in the Washington, D.C., area.
But her work is no longer in HR. It’s in interior design, a profession she somewhat came across by happenstance.
“I was sitting in my kitchen looking at three pendants hanging over my kitchen island,” Grunwald shares. “I’ve always loved interior design and beautiful spaces, but these pendants were really bugging me. I found myself not wanting to turn them on. I didn’t choose them, so they weren’t representative of my aesthetic.
“I had designed pretty much everything else in the room and was looking at these three pendants, going, ‘They have to go!’ Once I changed them, the room was just transformed. It really made a massive difference. They just made the room beautiful. They were sparkly and beautiful, and they really elevated the space.
“Once I had done that one time, I was totally hooked, because I could see the power of how lighting can absolutely transform a space. That was a pivotal moment for me, and I haven’t looked back. I’ve always embraced lighting, and it’s the first thing I notice when I go into a room.”
That was more than 10 years ago. Today, Grunwald is founder of the residential interior lighting design firm Design by Conway in McLean, Virginia. She is also a certified Lighting Specialist with the American Lighting Association, RIDE-qualified by the Designer Society of America, a True Colour Expert and a graduate of the Science in Design Academy.
Learn more about Grunwald’s passion for lighting in the Q&A below:
When you are looking at lighting, are you looking at the aesthetics of the light itself or the type of light it’s bringing into a space?
“It’s really a combination of the aesthetics of the light, what it’s made up of (texture and materials, and type of light it gives off and the color temperature) and what it does to the space (What role and function does it play?)
“A chandelier, for example, might add beauty and light, and a particular recess figure is going to light up a piece of art or architectural detail that the builder has introduced and it’s just illuminating that space. Lighting is there to elevate and showcase a space.
“When I walk into somewhere, I’m looking at all of those pieces. Similar to a piece of jewelry, if you have a fabulous chandelier, if that’s attractive and beautiful and fits the space, that’s what is going to draw my eye and others’ eyes.”
With a background in psychology and corporate HR, what led you to transition into the world of interior lighting design? How do you integrate your diverse experiences into your approach to lighting design?
“I studied psychology in university, which led me into corporate HR, and I spent all my working time in corporate HR in different parts of the world. I started in Ireland, but I lived in different places, working with diverse, multicultural teams and dealing with very different types of businesses.
“I’ve been in very different working environments working with lots of different people. I feel like it’s a huge advantage. The human resources and psychology piece coming together in the design world has really been helpful for me. And I’m naturally curious, so asking questions and getting to the bottom of how people feel, how they want to feel, how they want to see their homes and how they want to live within their spaces is really part of what I love to do. It’s been a natural progression, and all that I’ve done up to now is helping me with what I’m doing now.
As a certified Residential Lighting Specialist and advocate for neuroaesthetics and biophilic design, how do you incorporate scientific principles into your lighting designs to enhance aesthetics and well-being?
“This taps into the whole psychology element—form follows feeling. This expression is such a key aspect of neuroaesthetics. It’s looking at beauty and the brain, and how we respond to our living environment. We know automatically when we walk into a space whether we feel happy or not. And before we are even consciously aware of what makes a space great or not, our bodies are giving us that feedback.
“All of our senses are incorporated in neuroaesthetics, and it’s giving us more data. The science is showing us that all these different elements are important for our health and well-being. There are so many elements of the outdoors that we are yearning for because we are spending so much time inside, so bringing those outdoor elements inside is really advantageous and makes us feel so much better.
“And, we don’t necessarily understand why, but we know when we see it, especially with biophilic design, such as with fractals in our designed space. It’s about using design elements intentionally that make us feel better.
“The science piece of it is saying that the home is the future of medicine, which is a big, bold statement, but it does make a huge difference if we design with the elements—especially if you take cultural and personal elements into perspective.”
Design by Conway focuses on intentional lighting to positively impact health and happiness in the home. Can you elaborate on how intentional lighting design can create a sanctuary-like atmosphere and contribute to overall well-being? (help them understand the importance)
“Sometimes, it comes down to understanding how people will want to use their space and how they feel in that space, especially with home. They may not talk about it from a technical perspective—not telling you what Calvin to use—but they rely on a description of how they want a space to feel, which naturally translates into color temperature. Are they predisposed to something that is warmer and more yellow, or do they like something that is brighter and bluer? It’s about drawing information from the client as to what makes them feel more comfortable. That isn’t always something that people are readily able to share, so it’s a steppingstone and a conversation to get to the feeling that they are trying to achieve with their space.”
Living in various cultural hubs like London, Sydney and Milan must have exposed you to diverse design influences. How have these experiences shaped your design aesthetic and approach to lighting design?
“Everything has a place and time, and I kind of associate the different places with different things. London is architecture—beautiful buildings and statuesque; a lovely place to wander around. Living in Sydney, that’s outdoors, so I used to take a fairy to work every morning; it’s just beautiful, the outdoor aesthetics are really appreciated there. In Milan, I lived on one of the lakes about 40 minutes from Como. You have the culture, the aesthetics, the history and fashion. If you’re to pick a real inspiration place to live, I would say Italy is your ultimate. It has all of those different elements in one space, and I really loved it.
“In my home, I have different pieces from all the place I’ve lived. I have a gorgeous chair from Italy, so things have trapsed around the world with me, and they represent my time there, but they also represent a piece of the style and the culture, and what it represents to me. I think it’s important to have those elements from wherever we’ve lived and experiences, or where we’ve drawn inspiration, it’s part of who we are.”
Could you share a particularly challenging project you’ve worked on and how you overcame obstacles to create a successful lighting design solution?
“I had a client who had a beautifully, newly renovated kitchen and living area, but she called saying she didn’t know what to do with her space, because she wasn’t feeling the level of ambiance in terms of lighting.
“It was beautifully renovated, but I looked up at the ceiling and it was a mess. They installed what looked like wafer lights that sit on the surface of the ceiling. There were so many of them, and they were a blue-white color, glary, and they were everywhere. I understood why she was having problems. She didn’t necessarily equate it to color temperature. She just knew her space wasn’t comforting.
“The idea of re-renovating was really tough, so we had to find an alternative way of making her space feel calm and inviting, and somewhere she wanted to be. The easiest thing to do is to change the light temperature. We took it from 4,000 Calvin to a residential setting that made sense for a kitchen.
“Moving into her living area, there weren’t as many of these lights, so it was about adding layered lighting. We added a reading lamp, some portables, and all of a sudden, 2,700 Calvin was in her beautiful living area and looking fabulous, without any need to remove the surface lights. And in her kitchen, the lights in the ceiling were only necessary during food prep. It’s such a small change but it was transformative for her and her family.”
Being a True Colour Expert is a unique aspect of your qualifications. How does your understanding of color theory and perception inform your decisions when selecting lighting fixtures and designing lighting schemes?
“The True Colour Expert theorist is Maria Killam. I love her! She takes color, which can be quite complex and technical, and translates that into a system that she has created, which once you see it, you can’t unsee it. She opens a lock and key into how to work with color and how your eye can view a scheme and understand whether it works or doesn’t. Her system helps you understand color in the practical world, and I think color and light go hand in hand.
“The first thing you ask somebody about their space is which direction it faces, then bringing color into any kind of a room. You’re dependent on your color from the outside coming in; you’re dependent on your artificial light, so what color is your artificial light and how is that going to affect the color in a space. It all really ties neatly together, and I think she really helped translate the whole technical aspects of color into the practicalities of how to look at a space and really work with color.”
Looking ahead, what trends do you foresee shaping the future of lighting design, and how do you plan to stay at the forefront of innovation in the field?
“There are so many changes happening in lighting. Portables are definitely something to keep an eye out for—rechargeable lights were everywhere at High Point Market [in the spring]. They used natural materials, alabaster and travertine. There’s this whole new space with circadian rhythm that people are starting to dive into it, too.
“I think it’s going to take a minute for the lighting industry to catch up, although there lighting companies that are already looking into LED-integrated fixtures, which don’t have lightbulbs, but have the LED lights already in the fixtures. They are looking at the controls and color temperature, and they want you to be able to dictate how you want that to flow throughout the day. It’s nice and warm in the morning, and it’s nice and warm in the evening, but as you work throughout your natural day, do you want it to be brighter and bluer? Do you want it to be dimmer and more yellow? You can personalize your lighting experience, but the whole circadian rhythm piece is coming more to the forefront. …
“It’s about controlling your natural environment through light and working with our body’s rhythm and what you feel is comfortable for you. Everybody is different. What’s comfortable for you, may not be comfortable for me, and the customization of your space and light is really personal, and it needs to be different for everybody. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. Technology is going to change the way manufacturers view the opportunities with lighting, and I don’t think it’s going to stay with big, expensive control systems verses ones that you can control from a handheld device. It’ll change the way we design homes, too.”
As someone who has completed the RIDE course, could you share how your education and membership with DSA have impacted your perspective on design and your career trajectory?
“I love the RIDE course! I love education and think it’s a really important part of any equation. You need to have the fundamentals, and getting those fundamentals means getting educated. [The certification] really gave me a solid foundation and made me understand that I wanted more. RIDE made me understand that this is the space I wanted to be in.
“I went from that course to the American Lighting Foundation, where I got my Lighting Specialist accreditation, then I did the color theory piece and went on to the Science in Design Academy and earned that accreditation.
“I’ve been building on the elements that RIDE provided me, homing in on the areas that I found interesting and could get more up to date, current knowledge on. I also have plans to complete the RIDQC course.”
To stay inspired by Fiona’s latest projects and lighting tips, be sure to follow her on Instagram at @designbyconway. Don’t miss out on the beautiful transformations she creates, bringing light and life into every space!
