‘Lighting Is as Important as the Architecture,’ Says Designer Nicci Kavals

One of the leading luminaries in the world of lighting design, Nicci Kavals actually started her career as a chef, relocating to cook at a restaurant on the Greek island of Naxos, before she moved to Paris to work as a food stylist for the magazine Votre Beauté.

“My experiences as a food stylist taught me the process of reduction and simplification,” she says. “What remains—whether on the plate or more broadly in design—needs to have purpose and relevance, even if its significance is hard to articulate.”

Kavals eventually returned to her native Australia, working as Melbourne editor at Vogue Entertaining + Travel magazine, and then as a homewares and hard goods product designer for the lifestyle brand Country Road, before she ultimately established Articolo Architectural Lighting in Melbourne just over a decade ago.

“I felt there was a gap in the market for superbly designed artisanal lighting that was unique, sculptural, detailed yet timeless,” she says.

Now, with showrooms in Melbourne and New York City, Articolo has designed artisanal lighting for Nobu Restaurants, the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest, the Tiffany & Co. flagship store on Fifth Avenue, and residential clients including Robert Downey Jr.

The company relies on artisanal workmanship, Kavals says. “Each of our pieces embodies their expertise.”

Articolo has steadily expanded its global presence, having made its European debut at Salone del Mobile Milan in 2019. The company reached a pair of milestones last year, as Kavals unveiled a new identity and rebranded the company as Articolo Studios—reflecting its evolution into a luxury lifestyle brand—while opening its North American flagship showroom in an elegant, gallery-like space with soaring ceilings across from New York’s Madison Square Park.

Articolo Studios’ New York showroom
Eric Petschec

As her designs evolve, Kavals acknowledges the need to stay ahead of ever-advancing technologies. Last year, Articolo launched its first tuneable white light source known to restore the body’s circadian rhythm in a decorative fitting.

In April during Milan Design Week, the company introduced Articolo Home, a capsule collection of small-scale furniture pieces. And last month, the company launched rechargeable lighting.

Kavals, 68, recently spoke with Penta from her home in Melbourne where she lives with husband, Vic Kavals, also co-founder and director of Articolo Studios.

Penta : Among design elements, how important is lighting?

Nicci Kavals: It can change our perspective on how we view and appreciate the space around us—lighting is as important as the architecture, the interior design and finishes and the furniture selection. Lighting provides the soul to a space. It often provides a moment of awe, where you are moved by something beautiful.

How much of a difference does bespoke decorative lighting make?

When each fixture is purposely selected to enhance the space with shadow play of light, there is a sense of atmosphere and soul—the animation of light dances within the space, patterns and striations casting movement, layering, and providing depth. I love the notion of moving through a space and happening upon a beautiful fixture or light, which is more like artwork and makes you stop, pause, and exhale, where you take in that moment of beauty and then move on.

How do you describe your process?

I have a huge library or body of designs that I am continuously working through and refining. I tend to mull over them endlessly to perfect them before being ready to take them to market. We like to explore and experiment with new materials. … It’s important that each design reflects the many hands that have produced it, celebrating the craftsmen and -women whose skill and talent I deeply respect. It’s the human element that in many ways we’re losing through mass production—I strongly believe there’s no substitute for the handmade.

Where do you look for inspiration?

To express myself creatively through the play of light and shade is a genuine gift. I find inspiration everywhere I go; from the washed, bleached colors of Marrakech and Mexico to the architectural detail found in minimalist Japan. I love to explore the local crafts, and pore over the work of local artisans of different lands. The Japanese are exceptionally talented in porcelain, whilst the Mexicans are experts in beading, embroidery, and silver.

How would you describe your progression from an Australian firm to a global one?

At the time of starting Articolo in 2012, designing and manufacturing lighting in Australia was quite uncommon, with most of the high-end decorative lighting coming out of Europe and the U.S. In the beginning, my knowledge of lighting was minimal—which in hindsight, was perhaps a blessing as I may never have embarked on this journey had I been aware of the challenges. As I don’t come from a lighting background, I’ve found that I’m not restricted by a traditional approach. As we expanded globally, we had the option to expand into Europe or the U.S. I have always been drawn to a European design sensibility that celebrates craftsmanship, timelessness, and the artisanal. However, knowing that the U.S. was the harder option, we went in that direction as we never make the easy decision and have challenged ourselves at every turn to be better and improve constantly. This was a completely new ball game for us—certification standards to comply are vastly different in the U.S. than the rest of the world.

What does the future hold for your field?

Embracing cutting-edge technologies can elevate the functionality and aesthetics of luxury lighting. Integration with smart-home systems, customisable lighting experiences, and the use of innovative materials and finishes can provide clients with a truly unique and immersive experience. I expect to see a surge in demand for intelligent lighting solutions, and I am optimistic about the potential for transformative advancements in this area. While technology is crucial, I also value the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into creating luxury lighting pieces. I hope to see a continued appreciation for handmade, artisanal designs that showcase the skills of talented craftsmen. Balancing traditional craftsmanship with modern design sensibilities can result in timeless pieces that stand out in the market.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Ben Broca launched a company last December that offers AI tools to entrepreneurs. He’s already added 10,000 paying customers and is on track to bring in $10 million in revenue this year.

One thing he hasn’t added: any other employees.

The 40-year-old is part of a class of entrepreneurs who are launching, and then often running, new companies on their own. Artificial intelligence tools answer Broca’s emails, help write and debug code, field requests from customers, sign up new subscribers and grant refunds when issues arise.

Broca relishes his ability to make whatever decisions he wants on his own, often from his sun-drenched Sausalito, Calif., living room. “I think compromises make lukewarm results,” he said.

Once upon a time, running a business of a certain size required a team. AI is turning that assumption upside down, and more aspiring entrepreneurs are going it alone.

Ben Broca sitting in his home office. — Tech has seen an explosion of solo founders in the past year. Broca said he likes being able to work at his own speed, unencumbered by a team. Jonah Reenders for WSJ

An analysis by the payments company Stripe shows there are thousands of solo operators on the company’s platform that are generating over $1 million in revenue, with their ranks doubling between 2023 and 2025. The number of solo operators crossing the $10 million threshold nearly tripled in that same span.

In the past, people without business contacts or particular savvy might not have known how to get their ideas off the ground, said Ernie Tedeschi, Stripe’s chief economist. “Now, AI can be a built-in business partner,” he said.

AI’s ability to handle various administrative tasks makes it potentially useful for launching solo businesses in many fields. But the technology’s ability to also handle key tasks in tech, like coding, make that field a particular hot spot.

Analyzing Census Bureau data, Bank of America Institute economist Taylor Bowley found that among all industries, new business applications in the information sector have seen the biggest percentage increase—nearly 45%—over the past year. At the same time, the rate of information-sector applicants saying they plan to hire workers has experienced the sharpest decline of any measured industry.

This Census dataset doesn’t track solo-operated businesses. But the numbers broadly show—in tech and beyond—that applications are flat among businesses likely to hire workers, but generally rising elsewhere. Economists say that’s a strong sign that solo operators are on the upswing.

“The bar for getting started has never been lower,” said Julian Weisser, who runs a San Francisco-based accelerator for solo founders working in tech. The accelerator—which offers founders seed money and mentorship in exchange for an equity stake—attracted 4,500 applicants for 10 slots made available in its most recent cycle, nearly five times the number it drew when it launched last May.

Going it alone with AI can still be surprisingly expensive. Broca said he was losing money on many customers’ accounts while paying to access Anthropic’s Claude to run his clients’ requests—that AI company, as well as others, charges based on usage. He has since switched to free open-source AI models from China.

Broca said he has raised $30 million from investors and, at the same time, has saved millions in salary since he hasn’t needed a team of software engineers.

Another risk: If it’s easy for one entrepreneur to launch an AI-assisted business, copying them can be easy, too. This creates anxiety for founders like Troy Johnston, who runs an AI-assisted business alone in Orlando, Fla.

“Everybody has the sword and we all have the ability to unsheathe Excalibur now,” said Johnston, 40, who used AI to code an app that helps people get the most out of credit card benefits. The company makes around $3,000 a month in profit, with no employees, and is continuing to grow.

Troy Johnston said AI’s power and ease of use is an incredible boon for entrepreneurs like him—and also a double-edged sword. Luann Koerper

What one-person businesses will mean for the labor market remains to be seen. Polling has shown Americans are worried that AI will replace jobs, and top economists are wrestling with that possibility, too. But AI is also creating lots of new jobs, and the go-it-alone entrepreneurs show how the technology can both open doors and limit employment opportunities.

“If everyone’s hiring less, but you get four times more firms, what does that do to head count?” said Rembrand Koning, an associate professor at Harvard Business School who studies entrepreneurship. He co-authored a recent study that found that among 50,000 startups the researchers examined, those focused on AI tended to operate with 25% fewer employees.

Koning also believes a soft hiring environment that’s left some people mired in long job searches has encouraged more to try their hand at launching businesses.

Some founders cite different motives. “It’s a perfect storm of post-pandemic burnout and a re-evaluation of one’s priorities, and also booming AI and a sense of what’s possible,” said Samir Ahmad, 39, who lives in Breinigsville, Pa.

Two years ago, Ahmad decided to leave the corporate job he had worked at Verizon for almost two decades to start a solo coaching and consulting business. He had been seeing social-media posts touting the ease and virtues of AI, which he used to chart a business plan and help with marketing. “It was like my chief of staff, a second in command,” he said.

The business ultimately petered out within months, though, and Ahmad is now back to a full-time corporate role with a utility company.

For Claire Vo, 41, AI helped her turn a passing impulse into a business. She was working full-time as a tech executive when she tapped AI in late 2023 to help code an app that would help her manage documentation and design for new products, with customers ranging from financial services to healthcare firms.

“I was copying and pasting from ChatGPT,” said Vo, who lives in San Francisco.

Claire Vo smiling into the camera while recording a podcast. — Claire Vo used AI to code an app that’s on track to make seven figures in profit this year. Claire Vo

She put the app online for $1 a month, and within weeks people downloaded it thousands of times. Nearly three years later, Vo’s company—which she ran solo for nine months before hiring an engineer—now has 100,000 users and is on track to make seven figures in profit this year. AI handles the company’s marketing, sales and customer support.

While AI is a shortcut, Vo said her network and credibility in the industry were key. “I think people over-index on how easy AI is and under-index on how much I did to get to this point,” she said.