About
An architectural lighting design consultancy working across hospitality, commercial and luxury residential environments nationwide
DHS Lighting Design is an independent architectural lighting design firm. We collaborate with architects, interior designers, developers, and owners by crafting light to enhance architecture and elevate the experience of a space.
Our work spans projects ranging from large-scale hospitality and commercial developments to luxury residences across the United States. Each project is guided by the belief that lighting should be thoughtfully integrated, technically sound, and responsive to the way people interact with the built environment.
ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING DESIGN: What It Is and Why It matters
WHAT IT IS
It is more than illumination. It is the deliberate layering of light to create depth, mood, and clarity within a space. It enhances architecture, supports function, protects visual comfort, and strengthens the emotional impact of a space. Architectural lighting design focuses on where light is placed, <em>how</em> it performs, and how it is controlled — ensuring comfort, clarity, efficiency, and long-term value.
WHY IT MATTERS
Lighting has a direct impact on how people experience and function within a space. Thoughtfully designed lighting supports visual comfort, reduces glare, and creates environments that are easier to navigate and more comfortable to inhabit.
It also plays an important role in health and well-being. Exposure to appropriate light levels and color temperatures can support circadian rhythms, influence mood, and improve focus and productivity throughout the day.
Beyond performance, lighting shapes the character of a space—revealing texture, color, and finish while reinforcing the architectural intent. Lighting plays a defining role in whether a design performs as intended and can significantly influence the overall success of a project.
When lighting is not carefully considered, spaces can feel flat, uncomfortable, or visually disconnected. To achieve the best results, lighting design should be integrated early in the design process, allowing it to fully support the architecture rather than adapt to it. When approached with intention, lighting becomes a defining element in both how a space performs and how it is experienced.
Our Philosophy
Lighting should be thoughtfully integrated with architecture from the earliest stages of design. When light is considered as part of the architectural concept—not added later—it enhances architecture and shapes how a space is experienced.
Our work balances design vision with technical precision, studying how light interacts with surfaces, supports the function of a space, and improves visual comfort while maintaining efficiency and long-term performance.
As an independent lighting design consultancy, we do not sell lighting products, allowing us to make lighting recommendations based solely on what best serves the architecture and the goals of the project. Every decision is guided by design intent, performance, and long-term value.
Our Approach
Lighting design is most successful when it is integrated early and developed collaboratively. At DHS Lighting Design, we collaborate with the design team and owners to ensure that lighting supports the architectural vision and performs as intended.
Our process begins with understanding the goals of the project and the character of the architecture. From there, we develop lighting strategies that balance aesthetics, performance, visual comfort, and energy efficiency. Every decision—from fixture placement to beam angles to lighting controls—is considered within the broader design context.
We remain engaged throughout the design and construction process, helping the project team navigate technical decisions, coordinate across disciplines, and maintain the integrity of the lighting design as the project moves from concept to completion.
Where Lighting Design and Collaboration Meet
As the diagram below illustrates, when lighting design is carefully coordinated across the project team,
the result is architecture that is clearly expressed and spaces that are experienced as they were intended.
Leadership
DHS Lighting Design is led by partners Danny Streit and Melinda Streit, combining design leadership
with business and operational guidance for the firm.
Danny Streit
Design Principal
Danny Streit is Design Principal at DHS Lighting Design, bringing more than 25 years of experience in architectural lighting design and lighting control systems. His work spans hospitality, luxury residential, and commercial environments, with each project guided by an understanding of how light creates depth, reveals textures and details and shapes a sense of place.
Danny is a Design Member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), past president of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and Lighting Certified (LC) through the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions.
Danny leads the lighting design for each project, guiding the integration of light with architecture from concept through construction.
Melinda Streit
Managing Principal
As Managing Principal of DHS Lighting Design, Melinda Streit leads the firm’s business operations and strategic direction. With more than 20 years of experience in business leadership and entrepreneurship, she brings a strong focus on organization, communication, and the structure and organization that support successful projects.
Working closely with the design team, Melinda helps ensure that projects are supported from both a business and operational perspective, allowing the firm to focus on delivering thoughtful lighting design and a strong collaborative process.
Strategic Partnerships
DHS Lighting Design operates with a focused leadership team supported by a trusted network of strategic partners across the United States and internationally. Depending on the needs of a project, we assemble specialized expertise ranging from lighting controls and visualization to advanced modeling and technical documentation.
This collaborative structure allows us to scale appropriately for each project while maintaining the design integrity and personal attention that define our work.
Lighting Design Expertise
Hospitality Environments: Hotels, resorts, restaurants, and experiential destinations
Luxury Residential: Custom homes, private residences, and vacation homes
Commercial & Mixed-Use: Workplace and office environments and mixed-use developments
Exterior & Landscape Lighting: Façade, site, and landscape lighting design
Specialty & Experiential Projects: Cultural, civic, and performance-driven environments
Project Locations
Our work spans projects across the United States, from hospitality and commercial environments to luxury residences.
