What Studio Aurora does

Studio Aurora is a boutique lighting design consultancy headquartered in Dubai, UAE, founded by Andrenna D'Souza, who brings over 15 years of experience in the lighting industry. The studio serves three primary client segments — luxury hospitality (luxury hotels, restaurants, and bars), high-end residential, and luxury commercial (retail and business spaces) — across the UAE and selectively on an international basis, with team members located in Dubai and India. Service delivery follows a project-based professional services model, with engagements spanning concept, schematic design, technical documentation, and construction administration, priced per project on a quote basis with no publicly disclosed fee schedule.

The studio's technical work is executed using industry-standard design tooling — DIALux for lighting calculations and simulations, and AutoCAD and Revit for technical documentation and BIM workflows — rather than proprietary platforms. Its differentiator is a branded design methodology, the 'Symphonies of Light' philosophy and the 'Form, Function, Feeling' framework, which positions lighting as a compositional art form and integrates considerations such as circadian alignment, tuneable white lighting, smart controls, and energy-efficient LED specification. Notable publicly visible projects include W Hotel - Mina Seyahi (Marriott International) and BMW Dubai, with a broader portfolio of approximately 20 showcased projects.

Studio Aurora operates as a privately held, self-funded firm with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity. Customer acquisition is driven by direct project enquiries through the website, collaborative relationships with architects and interior designers, founder-led networking at design events, and an emerging content-marketing programme (founder-authored journal articles, Instagram, and LinkedIn). The firm is actively operating as of 2025, with current job openings signalling modest capacity expansion.

Name

Studio Aurora

Legal name

Studio Aurora

Website

https://studioaurora.ae

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Studio Aurora is a Dubai-based boutique lighting design consultancy serving luxury hospitality, high-end residential, and commercial clients with bespoke illumination solutions grounded in its 'Symphonies of Light' design philosophy, delivered on a project-based professional services model.

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)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Lighting Design & Layout (HSAIAHAA)

Keywords

• Lighting design services
• Architectural lighting
• Hospitality lighting
• Luxury residential lighting
• Commercial lighting design

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lighting Design Consultancy Services: Professional lighting design services for luxury hospitality, high-end residential, and commercial projects. Engagements span from initial concept through schematic design, technical documentation, and construction administration. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Studio Aurora is a Dubai, UAE-based lighting design consultancy founded by Andrenna D'Souza. The firm provides professional lighting design services across luxury hospitality, high-end residential, and commercial environments, including concept development, lighting layouts, fixture specification, and project coordination.

Product overview

Studio Aurora is a lighting design consultancy offering a single unified service: professional lighting design consultancy. Their service encompasses the full project lifecycle from concept through schematic design to final design and site visits, serving the luxury hospitality, high-end residential, and commercial sectors. The studio crafts 'Symphonies of Light' — design compositions using various lighting techniques, layers of colour, brightness, shadow and movement to create immersive and memorable environments that tell each project's unique story.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced energy costs through LED and smart control integration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup Lighting: Arup operates a global lighting design practice within a much larger multidisciplinary engineering consultancy. It is comparable to Studio Aurora in capability (architectural lighting design for premium projects) but competes with materially greater bench, geographic reach, and integrated engineering services.
• AECOM Lighting Design: AECOM includes a global architectural lighting design practice as part of its integrated design and engineering services. Overlaps with Studio Aurora in the lighting design discipline but operates at vastly greater scale, with full multidisciplinary delivery and global brand recognition.

Direct peers

• Studio Fractal: Studio Fractal is a Dubai-based architectural lighting design firm serving hospitality, residential, and commercial projects across the UAE. It competes head-to-head with Studio Aurora in the same regional market and serves the same luxury hospitality and high-end residential client base.
• Light Bureau: Light Bureau is an international lighting design consultancy with offices in Scandinavia and the UK, specializing in architectural lighting for hospitality, workspaces, and urban environments. It is comparable to Studio Aurora as a multi-office specialist lighting design firm targeting premium architectural projects.
• dpa lighting consultants: dpa is a UK-headquartered specialist lighting design consultancy with a strong international presence across hospitality, retail, and commercial sectors. It is comparable to Studio Aurora as a dedicated lighting design firm that treats lighting as a distinct creative discipline alongside architecture and interior design.
• Licht Kunst Licht: Licht Kunst Licht is a German specialist lighting design consultancy with international project reach across museums, offices, and urban masterplans. Comparable to Studio Aurora as a dedicated lighting design practice applying integrated artistic and technical expertise to architectural projects.
• George Sexton Associates: George Sexton Associates is a US-based specialist architectural lighting design firm focused on museums, civic, and high-end commercial projects. Comparable to Studio Aurora as a founder-led boutique consultancy that emphasizes the artistic and atmospheric dimension of light rather than purely technical specification.
• Bartenbach GmbH: Bartenbach is a leading specialist lighting design consultancy based in Austria with an international project portfolio spanning hospitality, residential, museums and urban lighting. It is directly comparable to Studio Aurora as a boutique-to-mid-sized lighting design specialist serving luxury and architectural clients globally.
• Isometrix Lighting + Design: Isometrix is a US-headquartered architectural lighting design consultancy serving hospitality, retail, and commercial clients internationally. Directly comparable to Studio Aurora as a specialist lighting design firm treating light as an experiential, design-led discipline for luxury and brand-driven environments.
• Sutton Fox Lighting Design: Sutton Fox is a UK-based boutique lighting design consultancy specializing in hospitality, residential, and commercial environments. Directly comparable to Studio Aurora as a small, design-led firm applying a creative, atmospheric philosophy to luxury lighting projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studioauroradxb
• Instagraminstagram.com/studioauroradxb

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 Studio Aurora