Within Light Studio
Within Light Studio is an independent architectural lighting design firm founded in 2020 by Mara Villegas and Wes Burdett, serving luxury hospitality, high-end residential, premium retail, and custom fixture projects from studios in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with international project execution spanning the Americas and Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Within Light Studio does
Within Light Studio is an independent architectural lighting design firm founded in 2020 by Mara Villegas and Wes Burdett, operating from studios in New York (SoHo), Los Angeles, and Chicago with a five-person team of two principals, two dedicated lighting designers, and an administrative assistant. The studio provides project-based professional lighting design services across luxury hospitality (hotels, resorts, spas), high-end residential, premium retail, landscape, and custom decorative fixture design, with project execution spanning the United States and international markets including Costa Rica, Vietnam, Peru, and Chile. Its technical capabilities center on circadian-rhythm integration, tunable RGBW+A and warm-dimming systems, Lutron-based intelligent scene programming (including California energy-code compliance), and Ketra smart home integration for residential environments.
The firm's customer base consists of enterprise hospitality operators and luxury developers, with named projects for Marriott-affiliated brands (Moxy, AC Hotels), Hyatt (Park Hyatt New York, Park Hyatt Chicago), Fairmont, Andaz, and Shilla, as well as upscale restaurants and retail flagships. Projects are acquired through a sales-led, referral-driven motion anchored in tier-1 architectural collaborators including Gensler, Yabu Pushelberg, Studio Whynought, and Lake Flato. Revenue is generated through quote-based, multi-year professional services engagements with non-publicly disclosed pricing. The studio has built brand credibility through a dense cluster of LIT Lighting Design Awards, Muse Design Awards, Ibero-American Biennial recognition, and principal features in Architectural Digest, Interior Design Magazine, and A+L Magazine between 2023 and 2025.
Within Light Studio operates as a privately held, founder-owned firm with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or acquisition activity. Its competitive positioning rests on the co-founders' combined 30+ years of luxury hospitality lighting expertise, embedded technology partnerships with Lutron and Ketra, and an award-winning project portfolio across 20+ global locations. Geographic expansion, vertical extension into retail, and productization of dedicated service lines (residential, hotel, F&B, retail, landscape, custom fixtures) indicate an intent to scale the practice beyond its current boutique footprint while preserving the design-led, principal-involved delivery model.
Within Light Studio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Within Light Studio
- Legal name
- Within Light Studio
- Website
- https://within-light.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Within Light Studio is an independent architectural lighting design firm founded in 2020 by Mara Villegas and Wes Burdett, serving luxury hospitality, high-end residential, premium retail, and custom fixture projects from studios in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with international project execution spanning the Americas and Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Within Light Studio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Lighting Design Services
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (54141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Within Light Studio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Within Light Studio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Architectural Lighting Design Services: Project-based professional services for architectural lighting design across hospitality, residential, and commercial projects. Services include concept development, design documentation, specification, and site installation supervision with human-centric focusing phase.
- Custom Light Fixture Design: Design and specification of custom decorative light fixtures including chandeliers, lanterns, and table lamps as part of comprehensive lighting solutions for luxury projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Within Light Studio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Within Light Studio is an architectural lighting design studio that provides project-based professional services including concept development, design documentation, specification, custom decorative fixture design, and on-site human-centric focusing during installation. The firm serves luxury hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, premium retail, and high-end residential projects across the United States and internationally, with emphasis on circadian rhythm integration, tunable RGBW+A systems, warm-dimming technology, and Ketra/Lutron control system integration.
Product overview
Within Light Studio is an architectural lighting design studio offering specialized design services for residential, hospitality (hotels), bar & restaurant, retail, and landscape lighting projects. The studio provides a comprehensive suite of lighting design services including residential architectural lighting design, hotel architectural lighting design, bar & restaurant interior architectural lighting design, retail architectural lighting design, landscape lighting design, and decorative light fixture design. Established in 2020 with studios in Los Angeles and Chicago, the studio collaborates with interior designers, architects, and clients to deliver projects ranging from intimate residences to luxury hotels and restaurants worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Architectural Lighting Design
- Hotel Architectural Lighting Design
- Bar & Restaurant Interior Architectural Lighting Design Lighting design services for bars and restaurants, creating immersive dining atmospheres with dim-to-warm technology, focused spotlighting, layered cove lighting, and transitions from daytime service to candlelit evening dining.
- Retail Architectural Lighting Design Lighting design services for retail spaces, creating radiant moods and layered lighting schemes to showcase merchandise, support brand identity, and enhance customer experience in flagship and boutique stores.
- Landscape Lighting Design Exterior and landscape lighting design services including architectural element highlighting, tree illumination, pathway lighting, pool area delineation, and artwork illumination for residential and resort settings.
- Decorative Light Fixture Design Custom light fixture design services including bespoke chandeliers (such as a 4.4M diameter piece at Shilla Monogram DaNang), lanterns, and table lamps with specialized lamping requirements, ensuring local availability for operational consistency.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple LIT Lighting Design Awards across hospitality, residential, and restaurant categories (2023-2025)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Within Light Studio
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Within Light Studio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Within Light Studio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- KetracoreTechnology partnership for smart home control systems integration. Within Light Studio collaborated with Ketra to provide clients with complete control over lighting experiences through tunable white lighting systems that shift color temperature throughout the day to support circadian rhythms.
- LutroncoreTechnology partnership for intelligent lighting control and programming. Lutron systems trigger lighting scenes based on occupancy and time of day for energy efficiency while prioritizing guest well-being. Particularly important for California energy code compliance in projects like Moxy LA.
- GenslermajorArchitectural firm collaboration on major hotel projects including AC Hotel LA and Moxy LA. Gensler serves as architect while Within Light Studio provides lighting design services as part of integrated project teams.
- Yabu PushelbergmajorInterior design firm collaboration on luxury hotel projects including AC Hotel LA and Moxy LA. Deep collaborative relationship producing award-winning hospitality lighting designs.
- Studio WhynoughtmajorInterior design firm collaboration on Park Hyatt New York spa and Shilla Monogram DaNang hotel projects. Recurring partnership across multiple projects.
- Richard Sandoval HospitalitymajorOperator partnership for restaurant concepts including Toro at Fairmont Chicago and Casa Chi in Chicago. Multiple successful collaborations on Latin and Nikkei culinary concepts.
- Ten Five HospitalitymajorOperator partnership for Desert 5 Spot Brooklyn and Mother Wolf Miami restaurant projects. Recurring collaboration on distinctive F&B concepts.
- Lake FlatomajorArchitectural firm collaboration on Hotel Saint Augustine project in Houston. Partnership includes both architecture and landscape architecture components.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Within Light Studio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Available Light: US architectural lighting design firm with a hospitality, residential, and cultural project mix; comparable in scale and service offering to Within Light.
- Fisher Marantz Stone: Premier New York-based architectural lighting design firm with a comparable hospitality, cultural, and high-end residential portfolio. Direct competitor for the same architect- and interior-designer-driven project flow.
- CM Kling + Associates: Boutique architectural lighting design firm with comparable hospitality, residential, and cultural project focus. Similar scale and GTM (referral- and award-led).
- Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design: Established US architectural lighting design firm with significant hospitality, commercial, and cultural-civic work. Larger-scale direct competitor serving the same architect-driven pipeline.
- Lighting Planners Associates (LPA): Japan-founded international architectural lighting design firm with a global hospitality and urban-scale portfolio. Comparable on craft focus and premium positioning; broader geographic reach.
- Pivotal Lighting Design: Boutique architectural lighting design firm with overlapping hospitality, restaurant, and residential exposure. Closest in firm size and GTM posture.
- Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design: NYC lighting design firm with deep hospitality, residential, and museum portfolio. Direct competitor on luxury hotel and high-end residential briefs in the same Northeast corridor.
- Tillotson Design Associates: Luxury-focused architectural lighting design firm with a strong hospitality and retail portfolio, frequently cited alongside Within Light in industry publications. Closest comparable boutique in client mix.
Broad incumbents
- Arup Lighting: Global design and engineering firm with an architectural lighting practice serving commercial, cultural, and infrastructure-scale projects. Larger incumbent; relevant where lighting is bundled with broader MEP or building services work.
- Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with a dedicated lighting design practice serving hospitality, cultural, and large-scale mixed-use clients. Larger incumbent competing on complex, multi-disciplinary briefs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Within Light Studio social profiles
Digital presenceWithin Light Studio compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Within Light Studio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Within Light Studio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Within Light Studio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Within Light Studio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Within Light Studio
What does Within Light Studio do?
Within Light Studio is an architectural lighting design studio that provides project-based professional services including concept development, design documentation, specification, custom decorative fixture design, and on-site human-centric focusing during installation. The firm serves luxury hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, premium retail, and high-end residential projects across the United States and internationally, with emphasis on circadian rhythm integration, tunable RGBW+A systems, warm-dimming technology, and Ketra/Lutron control system integration.
Is Within Light Studio a public or private company?
Within Light Studio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Within Light Studio founded?
Within Light Studio was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Within Light Studio based?
Within Light Studio is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Within Light Studio make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architectural Lighting Design Services are the primary driver. The others are custom Light Fixture Design.
Who are Within Light Studio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Available Light, Fisher Marantz Stone, CM Kling + Associates, Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design, Lighting Planners Associates (LPA), Pivotal Lighting Design, Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design and Tillotson Design Associates. Broad incumbents are Arup Lighting and Buro Happold.
Does Within Light Studio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Within Light Studio.
What industry is Within Light Studio in?
Within Light Studio's product category is Architectural Lighting Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAJ, Lighting Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54141.