Starlite

Located on the 21st floor of the Beacon Grand Hotel in San Francisco, Starlite takes the place of the iconic Starlight Room, which sat atop the building when it was originally constructed as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Having inherited the historic hotel after previous renovations, the client wished to return this speakeasy space to its original dark, luxurious design aesthetic.

In an effort to pay homage to the original Starlight Room, Lightswitch worked with Red Penciled, Maison A, and New Deal Hospitality to develop a design that used as much of the space’s existing lighting system as possible. We got resourceful, utilizing paint, gels, creative programming, and only a minimum number of new fixtures to transform the existing bright, cold, white lighting into a warm, moody, and intimate atmosphere. Working almost exclusively with the existing lighting system, we painted and lowered the track fixtures, re-lamped the restored decorative fixtures provided by Maison A, and installed new lighting fixtures in key areas to highlight the space’s bespoke mural, bar stock, and added lounge area. To bring the existing lighting down the last notch to meet the client’s desired aesthetic, we manually installed gels in each fixture, resulting in a very satisfactory and budget-friendly final product.

This project exemplified one of Lightswitch’s greatest strengths: balance. It required us to take stock of design goals, budget restrictions, and existing infrastructure and meld all these factors into a final product that honored the rich past of the Starlite space. By remaining creative and resourceful, our team was able to return Starlite to its former glory as a luxurious and eye-catching evening haunt atop San Francisco’s iconic Beacon Grand Hotel.