Beneath a Sagaponack residence defined by white and cream interiors, Elle Mara Garage establishes a radically different world through an almost nightclub-like lighting atmosphere. Rather than treating illumination as a finishing layer, Orsman Design uses movement, colour temperature and reflection to organise the collector garage and adjoining basketball court.
Descending into a nocturnal set
Reached through the wine cellar, the garage and basketball court intensify the transition from domestic life into a darkened set. Black resin walls, grey floors and mirrors suppress ambient brightness so that vehicles, luminaires and reflections become the primary visual elements.
Light as a variable display system
Each of the seven bays is crowned by a custom stretched-membrane panel that shifts between cool and warm white. Wall-mounted Ketra fixtures wash the dark enclosure in red, blue, green and violet, giving each vehicle a sculptural presence while the resin floor turns illumination into liquid-like reflection.
The court continues the optical language
Set one level lower, the basketball court uses two tones of acoustic wall panelling to control reverberation and visual noise. Disc luminaires recall the geometry of a basketball, while three linear strips echo court markings. Custom-produced by Italian company BlackLight, the bullet-resistant acrylic system clips to the ceiling with magnetic receivers.
Composing through negative space
Orsman understands lighting as movement through space rather than uniform brightness. The project gains force through selection: deciding which surfaces receive light and which remain in darkness. Illumination, vehicles and enclosure form a deliberate hierarchy, turning the garage from a service space into a private gallery with adjustable atmosphere.
Here, light does more than reveal a collection; contrast, colour temperature and reflection reshape how cars and the adjoining court are experienced.
