From Indoor Lamps to Civic Spaces: Scaling Public Art in Nashville
Can the same light-filtering geometry that makes a tabletop lamp feel cozy in your living room be used to humanize a concrete city street? I think so. While handcrafted indoor lighting will always be the bread and butter of Well Lit Woods, my ultimate vision has always extended out of the living room and into the public square. Cities can easily feel cold, hurried, and sterile—especially when public infrastructure is built purely for utility rather than human comfort. I want to change that narrative in Nashville by scaling up these interlocking wooden and metal joinery systems into functional public art.
Right now on the workbench, I’m developing civic-scale concepts—including shaded transit canopies that cast geometric shadows during the day, integrated public seating, and living building facades that glow softly after dark. Think of it as urban acupuncture: dropping small, thoughtful moments of organic design into busy public spaces to force us to slow down, take a breath, and feel a little more connected to our surroundings. The real engineering puzzle is making these structures weather-resistant, vandal-proof, and budget-conscious without losing their warmth and artistic soul. That’s the puzzle I’m working to solve for Nashville—bringing a little more safety, a little more joy, and a lot more comfort to our daily commutes.
