“When I started there, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had some idea what I liked and what I thought lighting design was about… but I didn’t really have people watching over me to help. It was kind of working a bit in the dark and fighting my way.” — Stephen Margulies

Today, Stephen Margulies is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in architectural lighting design—with over 35+ years of experience as an award-winning designer, firm founder, and gifted storyteller, he has touched countless projects, peoples lives with light, and mentored countless individuals.

I’ve always admired One-Lux Studio. Years ago, I even applied for an internship (spoiler: I didn’t get it 😅). But since then, I’ve only heard amazing things about their culture, design excellence, and Stephen’s extraordinary ability to communicate and lead.

After some overlapping educational engagements, we finally sat down for a conversation.

Here the top 5 learnings I drew out for myself:

💡 Get ahead of project challenges — anticipate challenges before they happen and prepare. The best leaders don’t wait for issues to escalate.

🤝 Manage client relationships by leaning into challenges — loyalty is earned not when things are easy, but when you step up and help fix problems.

🔄 Do the right thing even when it feels small — today’s small choices often become tomorrow’s defining moments.

🎯 Be selective and clear on your targets — success comes from focusing on the right clients and opportunities, not trying to be everything to everyone.

🏢 Managing the business is life — building and leading a design practice is an ongoing, evolving journey, not just a job.

If this conversation sparks your curiosity, give it a listen—and I’d love to hear your takeaways. There’s so much more wisdom packed into this episode, thanks to Stephen’s experience and insights.

If you’d like to learn more about One-Lux Studio, Stephen Margulies, and his partners Jack Bailey, IALD, IES, LC, LEED AP and Fernando Soler, visit 👉 oneluxstudio.com

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The Light Lounge was founded as an art project by Thomas Mnich in 2018, me interviewing and talking with the most brilliant and creative lighting designers in the world. To learn from them and to get inspired by the stories they share. Please let me know if you have any questions and feel free to contact me via ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.