Darkhorse Lightworks

What Darkhorse Lightworks does

Darkhorse Lightworks is an independent environmental and architectural lighting design consultancy founded in 2016 in Sherman Oaks, California, operating under the legal entity Darkhorse Lightworks, LLC. The firm delivers full-service lighting design from conceptual planning through construction administration, including interiors, exteriors, facades, landscapes, media, sculptural, and theatrical/performance lighting, with named projects spanning casinos (Choctaw Casino Resort, Morongo Casino and Spa), cultural institutions (Huntington Library, multiple Los Angeles-area libraries), educational facilities (USC, UCLA, Sonoma Academy), corporate headquarters (Roland, Hubbell Lighting), mixed-use developments (Bridge Street Town Center, Coconut Point), and iconic urban installations (LAX Gateway pylon, 2006 Salt Lake City Olympic rings). The firm's principal, Dawn Hollingsworth, brings over 45 years of theatrical and architectural lighting experience and holds CLD, WELL AP, and IALD Fellow designations, supported by an EdisonReport 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award and a U.S. patent (9,816,855) for wireless light intensity measurement.

Technically, the firm integrates California Title 24 energy code compliance, WELL Building Standard documentation, dark sky ordinance design, lighting control system design, and visualization/rendering into project delivery. The proprietary patent (9,816,855 B2) covers a system for measuring light intensity and wirelessly transmitting the data, providing a differentiated technical asset in lighting monitoring and optimization. The firm is WBE-certified (July 2017) and was granted the patent in November 2017.

The business model is fee-for-service professional consulting with a fiduciary responsibility to the project owner. The firm does not derive revenue from product procurement, distribution, installation, or manufacturer commissions, positioning it as an objective voice on the design team. Services are engaged directly by architects, property owners, and developers at the project level, primarily serving the U.S. market from California. Revenue streams include core lighting design, theatre consulting, WELL Building Standard services, product design and development, marketing and strategic planning, and expert legal services on lighting disputes. Marketing relies on an educational content blog, industry conference speaking, organic social media, ILLI board participation, and a small (1-10) employee base.

Name

Darkhorse Lightworks

Legal name

Darkhorse Lightworks, LLC

Website

https://darkhorselightworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Darkhorse Lightworks is an independent, fee-for-service environmental and architectural lighting design consultancy founded in 2016 in Sherman Oaks, California, serving architects, property owners, and developers across commercial, hospitality, gaming, retail, education, cultural, and mixed-use sectors with full-service design and WELL/Title 24 compliance expertise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Lighting Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Architectural lighting design
• Environmental lighting consulting
• Theatre lighting consulting
• WELL building standard lighting
• Circadian lighting design

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherman Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Lighting Design Consulting Services: Fee-for-service professional consulting providing environmental and architectural lighting design, theatre consulting, product design and development, and expert legal services. The firm operates independently without financial benefit from product procurement, distribution, or installation, ensuring objective recommendations in the owner's interest.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Darkhorse Lightworks is an independent lighting design consultancy that provides environmental and architectural lighting design services for commercial, hospitality, gaming, retail, mixed-use, healthcare, education, cultural, and entertainment projects. The firm operates as a fee-for-service, vendor-neutral advisor (fiduciary to the owner) from conceptual planning through construction administration, and also offers theatre consulting, WELL Building Standard services, product design and development, marketing/strategic planning, and expert legal services on lighting matters.

Product overview

Darkhorse Lightworks is an independent lighting design consultancy offering a unified suite of services centered on environmental and architectural lighting design. The core offering is Environmental and Architectural Lighting Design, which encompasses theatre consulting as an integrated capability. Supporting services include WELL Building Standard Services (compliance documentation and project management), Product Design and Development, Marketing and Strategic Planning, and Expert Legal Services. The company operates as a fee-for-service consultancy without financial relationships with manufacturers, providing objective design services to architects and owners across commercial, hospitality, retail, mixed-use, healthcare, entertainment, and education sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental and Architectural Lighting Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects have been designed where cost savings exceeded 100% of the consulting fee, paying for the design service entirely through better equipment choices and energy efficiency
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lightswitch: Independent architectural lighting design consultancy with offices across the US. Directly comparable as a fee-for-service lighting design practice serving commercial, hospitality, and entertainment segments, with a focus on design-driven, narrative-led illumination.
• Tillotson Design Associates: Architectural lighting design practice focused on commercial, cultural, and institutional projects. Comparable as a boutique, award-winning lighting design consultancy with similar service scope and project types.
• Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design (HLB): One of the largest independent architectural lighting design practices in the US, serving commercial, hospitality, cultural, and education markets. Comparable in service offering (architectural lighting design for diverse project types) but materially larger in scale than Darkhorse Lightworks.
• KGM Architectural Lighting: Independent architectural lighting design firm serving commercial, healthcare, education, and hospitality clients. Comparable as a fee-for-service consultancy with similar project typologies and client mix.
• Fisher Marantz Stone: Award-winning architectural lighting design firm serving museums, civic, hospitality, and commercial clients. Comparable in project typology mix and independent-consultancy model, with a similarly strong awards portfolio across IES and IALD programs.
• Visual Terrain, Inc. Architectural lighting design consultancy founded and led by experienced lighting designers. Directly comparable: founder Dawn Hollingsworth previously worked at Visual Terrain and Darkhorse Lightworks operates in the same boutique environmental and architectural lighting design space.

Broad incumbents

• Buro Happold (Lighting): International engineering consultancy with an integrated lighting design practice serving cultural, commercial, and civic projects. Comparable in offering architectural lighting design services but as one capability within a much larger engineering firm.
• Arup (Lighting Practice): Global engineering consultancy with a dedicated architectural lighting design practice serving buildings, infrastructure, and urban projects. Comparable in lighting design services but operates as part of a much broader engineering portfolio rather than a specialist boutique.

Others

• Acuity Brands Lighting: Major North American lighting manufacturer and controls provider. Comparable only in the broader lighting industry context; competes indirectly through bundled design-and-product offerings that challenge the independent-consultancy model Darkhorse relies on.
• International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD): Global professional association representing architectural lighting designers. Comparable as the industry community to which Darkhorse's principal belongs as a Fellow (FIALD), serving as a peer/reference network rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/darkhorseCLD37
• Facebookfacebook.com/darkhorseltg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/darkhorse-lightworks/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/darkhorsecld37

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Darkhorse Lightworks