Visiting the children’s corner at the Cranston Public Library (Cranston, RI) these days is an experience of bright, cheery colors that stir the imagination; from the fun, cubical chairs and hexagonal tables, to the bold graphics on the walls and on the pendant luminaires, all thanks to the imagination of LLB Architects.

Lumetta is especially happy over the way the custom surface mounted drums turned out. The project called for ambient light in the reading area while also providing a whimsical decorative element. To achieve this, Lumetta produced five drums with circumference diameters of 5 feet, 6 feet, and 7 feet, boldly displaying the various themes and motifs related to popular children’s novels. Lighting sources for the drums used a combination of Xicato and Samsung LED.
Meaghan Kennedy, LLB Architects’ Director of Interior Design, says the theme for the space come from children’s portal literature and classic books and stories. The vivid designs provided by big black and white graphics on the diffusers artfully contrasted with lively images on the bottom lens, invite curiosity and give off a playful feel. Meaghan expounds on the contrast: “The exterior of the fixtures shows silhouettes of the ‘real world’ while the bottom lens shows the ‘technicolor’ images of the fantasy worlds. We wished the lights to be oversized as to create a canopy over the children while reading.”

Meaghan credits Lumetta’s customization expertise in its ability to bring their original vision to reality. “Their (Lumetta) team worked to show how images would look superimposed on the light fixtures and modified images as needed. They also hosted us at their headquarters to show full scale prints of the graphics to make sure the team was on board before production.”

Credit: Exposure Lighting is the preferred agency for this project.
Photography by Nat Rea