Light,
gently considered.

Orava Studio is an independent practice designing lighting for architecture, hospitality and cultural spaces. We work quietly, in service of the design.

Warm tungsten pendant illuminating a minimalist stone-walled dining room at dusk — Villa Aume, Study for the Great Room

Practice

We design light the way an architect draws a wall — with intent, restraint, and an eye for the pause between things.

Architectural Lighting

Concept through construction supervision for private and public architecture.

Hospitality & Retail

Considered atmospheres for hotels, restaurants and flagship spaces.

Heritage & Cultural

Illumination for museums, galleries and listed buildings.

Public Realm

Lighting for civic spaces, streetscapes and public architecture.

SELECTED WORK

Full Index →

N° 01 · 2024
Villa Aume
Bad Ems, Germany
Private Residence
N° 02 · 2023
Springs Villa
Dubai, UAE
PRIVATE RESIDENCE
N° 03 · 2023
Kestrel Gallery
London, United Kingdom
Cultural

ON METHOD

“The most beautiful light is often the light you do not notice — the one that lets the room, and the people in it, arrive.”
Paula Cortes, Founding Principal

STUDIO

A studio working between Dubai and our long-standing collaborators across Europe and the Gulf.

Paula Cortes
FOUNDING PRINCIPAL
“I draw with light the way an architect draws with a wall — sparingly, and with intent.”
Architect, lighting designer and founder of Orava, shaped by more than 13 years of international experience. Formerly Head of Lighting Design at WSP Middle East and Associate Lighting Designer at Delta Lighting, leading landmark hospitality, residential, cultural and public-realm projects.
Caterina Boccacci
SENIOR LIGHTING DESIGNER
“A room is a sequence — first the doorway, then the pause, then the light that says: stay a while.”
Senior Lighting Designer at Orava, bringing experience across lighting design, interiors and architecture. Previously Lighting Designer at Ilumisa and Interior Architect at La Incubadora, she trained as an architect at Universidad de los Andes and holds a Master's in Architectural Construction and Technology from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
Michelle Cortes
JUNIOR LIGHTING DESIGNER
“Precision is a form of hospitality. Every millimetre and every lumen is a courtesy to the room.”
Formerly Associate at Arup Lighting Dubai, leading the studio's technical output from photometric modelling through on-site commissioning. Electrical engineer trained at AUB Beirut (2014), LEED AP BD+C and WELL AP, and a Certified Lighting Designer (NCQLP).