In 1993 Hervé Descottes established the lighting design and consulting firm L’Observatoire International in New York City. L’Observatoire’s team comprises an international cadre of lighting designers culled from a variety of disciplines. Formally trained lighting designers,architects, interior designers, engineers, and artists have been brought together to pursue the common aim of lighting the built environment.

The profession of lighting design is a relatively recent phenomenon. Still in its infancy, the multifarious aspects of its personality remain severed. This division is perpetuated by its practitioners who solely practice lighting design as a form of engineering or art. Instead of maintaining this bifurcation, L’Observatoire seeks a maturation within the field. To do so, L’Observatoire culls together an interdisciplinary method to merge the latest technologies with an aesthetic paradigm. Emphasizing a collaborative effort, the firm provides lighting design to such disparate spatial expressions as architecture, urban, landscape, and fine art projects. Advancing contextualism and specificity, L’Observatoire implicates itself in each stage of the design process to provide aesthetic and technical solutions particular to the needs of each client.