Interior of Tony Searby's 'House of Healing' showing the Innerscene Virtual Sun installation providing natural-looking daylight in the Grand Designs project

Case Studies

Grand Designs × Innerscene

A "House of Healing" gets its own indoor sun

Tony and Ara Searby's woodland wellness home in Henley-on-Thames was featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs (Series 25, Episode 4) on October 16, 2024. Central to the project's wellness mission was the need for daylight that heals in every space—even in deep-plan areas where traditional skylights weren't feasible. This case study explores how Innerscene's Virtual Sun technology delivered both architectural freedom and circadian benefits in this therapeutic retreat setting.

The Wellness Challenge

Tony and Ara wanted every space—even the deep-plan guest wing—to deliver "daylight that heals". Real rooflights weren't feasible over the structural steel spine, and conventional LEDs felt clinical. The couple asked Kazzar Lighting for a solution that could create believable sunlight-and-sky regardless of weather, support circadian rhythm and lift mood for paying retreat guests, and keep the insulation layer intact with no penetrations through the building envelope.

Project Snapshot

Build

Woodland wellness-home, Henley-on-Thames (UK)

Broadcast

Grand Designs S25 E04, first aired 16 Oct 2024 (Channel 4)

Clients

Tony & Ara Searby

Lighting design

Kazzar Lighting (well-being & circadian brief)

Innerscene kit

2 × Virtual Sun A7 artificial skylights, Casambi-controlled

Architectural Design

The U-shaped floor plan wraps around a central atrium, connecting occupants with nature while providing well-designed spaces for both living and wellness retreat activities.
3D render of floor plans for the woodland wellness-home in Henley-on-Thames featured on Grand Designs

From Vision to Reality

Tony and Ara Searby's journey from construction to completion, with Innerscene's Virtual Sun transforming their wellness retreat's interior spaces.
Tony and Ara Searby wearing hard hats during the construction of their wellness home featured on Grand Designs

During Construction

The completed guest wing with Innerscene Virtual Sun providing natural-looking daylight in the Grand Designs home

Completed Interior with Virtual Sun

The Innerscene Solution

Kazzar installed two Virtual Sun A7 fixtures flush with the plasterboard soffit. Each unit projects an infinity skybox lit by hundreds of LEDs, delivering up to 4,455 lm and tunable 3,200 – 40,000 K white without UV or IR. The lights follow an automatic daylight-to-moonlight curve via Casambi-DMX.

Results & Benefits

Biophilic Feel

Kevin McCloud notes that the installation "lifts my spirit, as the sun does," creating a genuine daylight effect.

Health & Circadian Support

Smooth sunrise/sunset profile aligns with retreat timetable; Ara notes fewer autoimmune flare-ups during the first season of occupancy.

Simple Integration

Non-invasive installation preserves building envelope integrity, requiring no structural modifications or weatherproofing.

Brand Exposure

3.1M overnight viewers plus All 4 replays, with Kazzar blog and Instagram reposts tagging #VirtualSun.

The Virtual Sun Experience

The Innerscene Virtual Sun A7 creates a stunning illusion of infinite depth and real sunlight, helping to maintain circadian rhythm for occupants while preserving the building's thermal envelope.
Close-up of the Innerscene Virtual Sun A7 artificial skylight installed in Tony Searby's wellness home from Grand Designs Series 25
Note: Image shows an Innerscene Virtual Sun Model A6, which is now 2 generations old. This project started in 2019 and filming took many years to complete. Newer versions of Virtual Sun do not have a muntin in the middle and feature enhanced performance while building upon the already impressive realism.
"If somebody came for the first time, they would look here and think 'This is a skylight.' It is sorcery, and yet it lifts my spirit, as the sun does."
— Kevin McCloud, Grand Designs Presenter

Why It Works

  • Infinite depth illusion triggers the same neurological response as real blue sky.
  • High melanopic/photopic ratios (0.4 – 1.6) keep occupants alert by day and relaxed at dusk.
  • Plug-and-play retrofit—no roof cuts, no planning hurdles, ideal for Passivhaus-style envelopes.

Take-aways for Specifiers

Virtual Sun lets architects bring compliant "daylight" to any floor of a building—critical for retrofit wellness projects and for dense urban sites where roof apertures are impossible.
Ready to create sunshine anywhere? Contact Innerscene's design team or download the full spec pack.

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Interior of Tony Searby's 'House of Healing' showing the Innerscene Virtual Sun installation providing natural-looking daylight in the Grand Designs project
Close-up of the Innerscene Virtual Sun A7 artificial skylight installed in Tony Searby's wellness home from Grand Designs Series 25
3D render of floor plans for the woodland wellness-home in Henley-on-Thames featured on Grand Designs

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