Nothing conjures up images of opulence and glamour as the famous Orient Express. When Northern Lights were approached by Wimberly Interiors to create the bespoke luxury lighting for this iconic project, we were honoured to become a small part of this train’s great history.

Wimberly Interiors were tasked with capturing the spirit of Istanbul for one of the Grand Suites. The Arabesque architecture and intricate decorations often found on the traditional buildings in the city are achieved by focusing on the details. Elements such as hand-carved timbers, embossed leathers and the beautiful intricate fretwork on our bespoke luxury lighting helped the Wimberly Interiors accomplish a very challenging brief.

This bespoke wall light was made from the most beautiful quality brass, allowing us to achieve seamless joints. The mirror behind the luxury lighting meant nowhere to disguise any seams. This level of thinking was applied to each piece of luxury lighting supplied to The Orient Express. We used the knowledge and skills we have developed in the marine lighting industry to make sure there was no chance of any vibration being caused during travel on The Orient Express. All fixings were designed to be hidden to reinforce the luxury lighting feel. The stepped backplate was carefully designed to reflect the Arabic patterns found elsewhere in the cabin.

The second ‘Grand suite’ we worked on for Wimberly Interiors was the Venetian suite. The grandeur of this beautiful city is interwoven into the silk fabrics, with hues of silver and grey and hand-crafted Venetian glass adorning the baroque-style furnishing and bespoke luxury lighting. The bespoke wall light in the bathroom was designed to be suitable for the damp conditions without sacrificing style or glamour. The highly polished brass finish complements the inlays of the brass found throughout the rest of the suite on The Orient Express.

The Grand suites have won several esteemed awards including; the ‘World’s Best Suite’ at the AHEAD awards, ‘Best Specialist Design’ at the Gold Key awards and won the ‘Historic Renovation Category’ at the Contract Interior awards. As well as these, the Grand Suites have been nominated in the Inside Awards and Blueprint Awards.

Photography courtesy of Wimberly Interiors.