Marrow Fine Chicago marks the jewelry house's entrance into the city's Gold Coast neighborhood, where Art Deco history meets a modern retail salon. Working within an existing shell rather than new construction, lighting designer Garrett Neal of NEAL Lighting set a single standard for the space: cool light on the diamonds, warm light everywhere else.
"Diamonds love cold light, 5000K-plus," Neal said. "The idea was to keep that cool light at the jewelry cases and use warmer light everywhere else for comfort."
QTL's Q-CAP fixtures deliver that precision. Built into Neal's custom millwork, Q-CAP's compact form and wide color range gave him the control to light display cases without lighting the room around them. "The fixtures were selected based on the small sizes offered and a wide range of color selections," he noted. At the consultation counter, Q-CAP gives each piece definition for up-close viewing; along the main display wall, it lights the cases without drawing attention to itself.
Terra-cotta plaster, rounded millwork, terrazzo floors, and vintage Italian fixtures carry the room's Art Deco character, while Q-CAP's cooler light keeps every diamond and gemstone doing the talking. The result: a Platinum award at the 2024 MUSE Design Awards, and a showroom where comfort and precision share the same space.
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