A small studio that thinks hard about every project we take on.
Lumin was founded by Lucy Kuhar on a simple belief — that residential architecture should serve the people who live in it, not the architect's portfolio. We work with homeowners who want a home that fits how they actually live, and developers who need an architect that thinks commercially as well as creatively.
We're a boutique studio working across London, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Small enough that every project gets genuine senior attention from first conversation to handover. Experienced enough to handle complex planning, tight programmes and demanding briefs without drama. One point of contact throughout. No handoffs.
Our work has been recognised with the Women Leaders Award in Construction and Manufacturing, and featured in Wallpaper*, Build It, Absolutely B&B and Living Magazine.
How we think about design
We design around how light moves through a space across the day, and how people move through it across their lives. Morning to evening, winter to summer. This is what we call temporal planning — and it changes how every room feels to live in.
For homeowners, this means spaces that feel calm, intuitive and genuinely supportive of daily family life. Not just beautiful — functional in the specific way your household demands.
For developers, good design is a commercial decision. Considered layout, a planning strategy that anticipates objections, and details that actually build — these protect your margin before a brick is laid. We treat GDV, buildability and programme as design inputs from day one, not problems that arrive at tender.
How we work
We structure every project to reduce uncertainty early — because decisions made late, under pressure, are the ones that cost the most. Feasibility, planning strategy, design development, building regulations and tender coordination handled in sequence, with clear advice at every stage.
Our clients tell us what they value most is knowing what's happening and why. Every decision is explained, every trade-off made visible, every stage signed off before the next one begins. No surprises.
We work with homeowners on extensions, loft conversions and new homes, and with small developers on HMO conversions, planning uplift and residential schemes between 2 and 15 units. Same rigour, same attention, different brief.
Recognition
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