notholt lighting design

What notholt lighting design does

notholt lighting design is an independent, privately-held professional lighting design consultancy headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, operating since 2009 with a team of 1-10 employees. The firm delivers architectural lighting design, light art installations, facade illumination, and custom luminaire development (Sonderleuchten) across multiple sectors: hotels and hospitality, maritime and cruise (cruise ships and yachts), commercial office and corporate headquarters, retail and automotive showrooms, cultural institutions and museums, gastronomy, healthcare, and high-end private residences. Its proprietary strength is custom luminaire development tailored to technically constrained environments, most notably maritime vessels with low ceiling heights and limited exterior views, demonstrated through projects for Hapag-Lloyd's MS Europa 2, Regent Seven Seas Explorer, and Quark Expeditions' Ultramarine. Noteworthy clients also include Privatbank Donner & Reuschel (winner of the [d]arc awards 2021 in Best Art Bespoke), TORTUE Hotel Hamburg, SIDE Hotel Hamburg, Hotel Steigenberger Treudelberg, Hotel Öschberghof, Hess Natur, Mercedes-Benz (Daimler), EDEKA, and the University Hospital Düsseldorf.

The firm operates as a pure professional services business on a project-based engagement model. Revenue is generated through quoted fees per project based on scope and complexity; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales: direct relationships with architects, interior designers, property developers, and end clients, with no resellers or intermediaries. Active collaborators on maritime and hospitality projects include Cubik³, Tillberg Design, JOI-Design Innenarchitekten, RTKL, ICRAVE, and Partner Ship Design, indicating the firm operates within a recognized European interior design and ship architecture ecosystem. Distribution is supported by a bilingual (German/English) website portfolio plus Facebook and Pinterest presences. Geographic reach is described as Germany-focused with international projects spanning Lithuania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Russia, and global maritime engagements. The company has no disclosed parent, no funding rounds, no public listing, no management team disclosed publicly, and no AI/ML or software product component; the offering is purely expertise-led design services.

Name

notholt lighting design

Legal name

notholt lighting design

Website

https://notholt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

notholt lighting design is an independent Hamburg-based consultancy providing architectural lighting design and custom luminaire development for hotels, cruise ships, retail, corporate, cultural, healthcare, and high-end residential clients across Germany and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lighting Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural lighting design
• Lighting design consultancy
• Custom luminaire development
• Maritime lighting design
• Facade illumination design

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lighting Design Consulting Services: Professional lighting design services for architecture and interior projects. Engagements include concept development, detailed planning, custom luminaire specification, and project oversight for hospitality, commercial, residential, and maritime projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

notholt lighting design is an independent Hamburg-based lighting design studio providing architectural lighting concepts, custom luminaire development (Sonderleuchten), light art installations, and facade illumination. The studio serves projects across hotels and hospitality, maritime and cruise ships, commercial offices, retail, cultural venues, gastronomy, healthcare, and private residences, acting as a manufacturer-neutral design partner to architects, interior designers, and direct clients.

Product overview

notholt lighting design is a professional lighting design consultancy based in Hamburg, Germany, offering independent lighting planning services. The company provides comprehensive lighting design solutions across diverse sectors including hotels, restaurants, retail, offices, maritime (cruise ships and yachts), museums, healthcare, private residences, and architectural facades. Their service portfolio encompasses architectural lighting design, light art installations, facade illumination, and specialized lighting for heritage-protected buildings. The company operates as a single-service consultancy rather than a product-based platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Lighting Design Independent lighting concept and design service covering interior and exterior architectural projects across hospitality, commercial, retail, cultural, gastronomy, healthcare, and residential sectors. Delivered to architects, interior designers, and direct clients as a manufacturer-neutral lighting consultancy engagement.
• Custom Luminaire Development (Sonderleuchten) Bespoke luminaire design and development service for projects where standard off-the-shelf fixtures cannot meet the brief. Covers concept, specification, and development of one-off luminaires tailored to specific architectural, maritime, hospitality, or residential applications.
• Light Art Installations Design of artistic light installations and sculptural lighting pieces for public, hospitality, cultural, and architectural environments, including award-winning bespoke works recognized at the [d]arc awards 2021 (Best Art Bespoke).
• Facade Illumination Design Exterior facade and architectural illumination design service delivering building-mounted and outdoor lighting concepts that shape nighttime identity, brand presence, and wayfinding for hotels, commercial buildings, and cultural venues.
• Maritime and Cruise Ship Lighting Design Specialized lighting design service for cruise ships, expedition vessels, and maritime interiors, addressing maritime-grade technical, safety, and energy requirements. Delivered to cruise operators and shipyard outfitters including Hapag-Lloyd (MS Europa 2), Quark Expeditions, and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Quantifiable outcome

• [d]arc awards 2021: Winner Best Art Bespoke for Private Bank Donner & Reuschel project

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cubik³coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Quark Expeditions Ultramarine project for interior design of cabins, suites and public spaces. Cubik³ responsible for interior design while notholt provides lighting design services.
• Tillberg DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture collaboration on Regent Seven Seas Explorer project alongside RTKL and ICRAVE
• JOI-Design InnenarchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design partnership on Hotel Dolce Munich project for lobby, conference rooms, ballroom, and gastronomy lighting
• JOI-Design InnenarchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaboration on Niederegger project in Lübeck
• RTKLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaboration on Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise ship project
• ICRAVEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaboration on Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise ship project
• Partner Ship DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner for multiple maritime projects including MS Europa 2, bringing expertise in ship design to inform lighting concepts
• Udo Strack Corporate Concepts GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design collaboration on Villa C project in Hamburg

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Light Bureau: Nordic (Denmark/Sweden) lighting design consultancy serving architecture, urban, and hospitality projects. Comparable independent-consultancy model and design-led positioning, with cross-border project reach similar to notholt's maritime work.
• Speirs + Major: Internationally recognized UK-based lighting design consultancy with deep hospitality, cultural, and urban-architecture projects. Direct competitor on large, design-led briefs comparable to those won by notholt.
• a.g Licht: Bonn-based German lighting design firm offering independent architectural lighting design for commercial, public, and cultural projects. Operates in the same professional-services model as notholt within Germany.
• Tillotson Design Associates: US-based architectural lighting design firm with comparable mix of hospitality, cultural, retail, and corporate-office work. Useful international peer for premium-lighting-service comparables.
• Bartenbach: Austrian lighting design and research consultancy with a comparable mix of architectural, hospitality, and bespoke-luminaire work across Europe. Highly relevant peer given its custom-luminaire development and high-end hospitality client base.
• Lichtpartner: German lighting design consultancy providing independent planning for architecture, retail, hospitality, and office environments. Overlaps directly with notholt's service portfolio and customer segments in Germany.
• Licht Kunst Licht AG (LKL): Berlin-based independent German lighting design consultancy serving hospitality, museums, offices, and public-sector projects. Directly comparable as a similarly sized, founder-led German lighting planner operating across the same verticals as notholt.

Broad incumbents

• Arup Lighting: Lighting design practice within global engineering consultancy Arup, covering architecture, transport, and urban projects. Broader incumbent that overlaps with notholt on premium commercial, hospitality, and maritime-adjacent briefs, but with vastly greater scale and integrated MEP capability.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/notholt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/notholt-lighting-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about notholt lighting design