Zerlina Hughes is a name that has become synonymous with innovation, creative depth and sensory storytelling within the world of lighting design. As the founder and Creative Director of Studio ZNA, she has shaped some of the United Kingdom’s most memorable and emotionally compelling lighting environments, particularly within museums, galleries, cultural institutions and high-profile exhibitions. Her work moves beyond the conventional idea of simply illuminating a room. Instead, she uses light as a medium to shape atmosphere, narrative and emotional response. Through carefully calibrated tones, intensities and spatial relationships, Hughes transforms spaces into experiences.
Early Life and Formation of Artistic Identity
Zerlina Hughes’ roots trace back to Scotland, where an early connection to creativity, theatre and the arts began to guide her interests. She spent her formative professional years working within theatre, film and opera — an environment where lighting is not just practical but emotional, symbolic and reflective of character and mood.
This part of her background is essential to understanding her later work. In theatre, light is not just about visibility. It shapes narrative movement: it tells the audience where to look, how to feel and what atmosphere exists in a given moment. Hughes absorbed this performative understanding of light and carried it forward into architectural lighting design.
Her academic journey reflects the same duality of creative and scientific thinking. She pursued her studies at Goldsmiths College, a place renowned for cultivating artistic experimentation, and later further refined her technical knowledge through postgraduate study in light and lighting. This combination provided her with a foundation grounded in artistic intuition as well as precision, calculation and optical science.
The Birth of Studio ZNA
In 2006, Zerlina Hughes established Studio ZNA in London. From the outset, the studio was not just a lighting consultancy but a creative practice dedicated to narrative-driven design. The firm quickly became known for its work with cultural institutions, collaborating with curators, architects and exhibition designers to craft sensory experiences that guide audience interaction with art, space and history.
The studio’s ethos is rooted in the belief that light should reveal meaning. Whether illuminating a priceless artifact, guiding a visitor through a historical journey or enhancing the spatial identity of a contemporary interior, the aim is not merely to light an object, but to shape the emotional and interpretive response of the viewer.
Studio ZNA’s portfolio gradually expanded across museum galleries, luxury retail environments, cultural buildings, film and performance installations, blending technical expertise with visual storytelling.
Lighting as Narrative and Atmosphere
Zerlina Hughes approaches lighting as both an art and a science. Her philosophy hinges on how light influences the emotional quality of a space. She considers factors such as colour temperature, shadow, diffusion and reflection not as technical constraints, but as tools of expression.
She often speaks about the sensitivity of the human eye, and how deeply humans respond to subtle atmospheric shifts. For her, lighting is not simply about brightness. The tone of light can suggest a time of day, a historical mood or an emotional state.
This narrative handling of light is particularly evident in her exhibition design work. She uses lighting sequences to draw visitors on a journey, sometimes shifting through gradients of tone to echo a thematic progression. It is this theatrical sensibility — the idea that light itself can tell stories — that sets her practice apart.
Major Works and Notable Projects
Though Studio ZNA has worked on numerous exhibitions and cultural spaces, some of the most distinguished works demonstrate Hughes’ gift for balancing narrative, conservation and visual identity.
Major Museum and Gallery Spaces
Her collaborations with major British museums highlight the delicate balance required when designing lighting for artworks. Museum objects are often highly sensitive, requiring low illumination levels to preserve their material structure. Hughes has mastered the ability to shape mood and presence even within such constraints, achieving dramatic yet respectful results.
High-Profile Fashion and Cultural Retrospectives
Among her most widely celebrated works are large-scale fashion exhibitions where lighting plays a crucial role in expressing brand identity, materiality and artistic legacy. She uses light to emphasise texture, silhouette and craftsmanship, guiding the viewer into the world of the designer or cultural movement showcased.
Luxury Retail and Boutique Environments
Hughes’ lighting schemes in luxury commercial spaces further demonstrate her precision. In such contexts, lighting must shape atmosphere and desirability without overwhelming the product. The subtlety of reflection on fabric, jewellery or glass can determine a customer’s emotional connection with an item.
Each of these project types showcases her ability to tailor lighting to context, environment and narrative intention.
Technical Precision Meets Emotional Sensitivity
One of the most compelling aspects of Zerlina Hughes’ work is how she balances highly technical demands with artistic sensibility. Lighting for cultural spaces requires deep understanding of optics, conservation standards, fixture engineering and environmental impact. Yet her installations rarely feel technical; they feel humane, poetic and immersive.
This duality — precision and emotion — demonstrates her influence on modern lighting design. She proves that technical excellence does not require sacrificing atmosphere or expressive potential.
Leadership and Influence in the Field
As the Creative Director of Studio ZNA, Hughes is not simply a designer but a mentor, collaborator and a guiding voice for emerging designers. Her approach encourages exploration rather than repetition. She pushes her teams and collaborators to think about what the light is doing emotionally, rather than focusing only on how it functions physically.
Her leadership style is thoughtful, reflective and grounded in deep respect for the spaces and cultural histories she works with.
The Human Experience of Light
At the core of Hughes’ philosophy is the belief that light has a profound effect on human perception and behaviour. She understands that light can calm, energise, direct, isolate or unify. It can influence how long someone stays in a room, how they interpret a painting and even how they remember an experience after leaving the building.
Her work consistently demonstrates that lighting is not merely a technical installation — it is a psychological and emotional craft.
Sustainability and Longevity
Another significant aspect of her approach is her commitment to sustainability and responsible lighting design. This includes the thoughtful reuse of lighting equipment, reduction of energy consumption and careful planning for long-term adaptability in spaces. She believes that beautiful lighting does not need to be excessive. Sensitivity and intention can produce lasting impact.
Legacy and Continuing Influence
Zerlina Hughes’ work has helped redefine the cultural and experiential role of lighting in contemporary design. Her exhibitions are remembered not only for what was displayed but for how the viewer felt when encountering them.
Her influence continues to expand through Studio ZNA, new collaborations and her role in inspiring the next generation of lighting designers.
Conclusion
Zerlina Hughes stands as a leading figure in the evolution of lighting design, blending artistic insight, technical mastery and narrative understanding to reshape how we experience space. Her work demonstrates that light is not simply a functional necessity but a profound medium of emotional expression and storytelling. Through Studio ZNA, she continues to shape cultural environments that invite reflection, curiosity and connection — proving that when used with intention, light has the power to transform not only space but the human experience itself.
