Transforming a Former Carpet Store: Ansell Lighting Brings a New Furniture Showroom to Life in Inverness

Ansell’s Comfort Evo, Prism Pro downlights, Primo track and P-Cell LED strip delivered a complete lighting transformation for the refurbishment of Blakbridge Furnishings in Inverness. Installed by David Ritchie Electrical, the scheme combines functional retail lighting with feature illumination to create a bright, welcoming and visually engaging customer environment.

The Brief

When a former carpet store in Inverness was stripped back and reimagined as a contemporary furniture showroom, the lighting brief was anything but simple. The transformation demanded a scheme capable of doing several things at once: providing comfortable, consistent general illumination across a large retail floor, creating atmosphere in the bar area of the showroom, drawing attention to hero furniture pieces on display, and adding a refined, boutique quality to cabinet and shelving areas — all within a single, coherent interior.

With over 200 new fittings to be installed throughout, the scale of the project required a carefully considered product selection. The electrical installation was carried out by David Ritchie Electrical of Inverness, whose expertise in specifying and fitting quality commercial lighting helped shape the final result.

The space presented four distinct requirements. The main retail floor needed clean, high-quality downlighting that would flatter furniture finishes without visual fatigue for staff or customers browsing at length. The showroom bar area, a more intimate and design-led space, called for a fire-rated downlight with a refined finish befitting the setting. Feature areas displaying key products required a flexible, directional solution capable of highlighting individual pieces with precision. And the cabinet display zones needed something altogether different — a discreet, integrated light source that could give the displays a modern, high-end feel.

The Ansell Solution

Four products from the Ansell range were brought together to address each area of the brief, each selected for its ability to perform the specific task demanded of it while contributing to a unified lighting scheme across the store.

For the main retail floor, the Comfort EVO downlight was specified throughout. Its IP44 rating and CCT selectability make it a practical and adaptable choice for a busy commercial environment, while its clean, recessed profile keeps the focus firmly on the products and interiors below. The Comfort EVO’s three-part design allows for straightforward installation and future upgradability — a practical consideration given the scale of the installation and the long-term nature of the project.

In the showroom bar area, the Prism Pro CCT Fire Rated Downlight was selected. Its dual wattage flexibility and fire-rated construction make it well suited to a ceiling void where both compliance and aesthetics matter, while its premium finish gives the bar area a sense of quality that matches the curated nature of the space. CCT selectability ensured the colour temperature in this zone could be matched to the wider scheme, maintaining consistency throughout the showroom.

Feature areas displaying key furniture collections were treated with the Primo Three-Circuit Track system. The Primo track’s flexibility to position and angle individual spotlights meant the installation team could direct focused light precisely onto the pieces on display, creating a gallery-like quality that elevates the product and draws the customer’s eye. The three-circuit capability offers further scope for control and atmosphere, allowing different areas of the feature zones to be lit independently as the showroom’s displays evolve over time.

For the cabinet display areas, P-Cell IP20 Single White LED Strip Tape was installed to deliver the finishing detail the scheme required. Integrated discreetly within the cabinetry, the P-Cell strip tape provides an even, continuous band of light that gives each display a polished, boutique quality — adding depth and warmth to the products within while reinforcing the premium feel of the store’s interior as a whole.

The Result

The completed showroom represents a significant transformation from its previous life as a carpet store. Where once the space was defined by functional simplicity, it now presents a layered, considered lighting environment that serves both the practical needs of a retail floor and the elevated aesthetic of a design-led furniture destination.

The Comfort EVO downlights provide a bright, comfortable foundation across the main floor. The Prism Pro brings refinement and compliance to the bar area. The Primo track adds drama and focus to the feature displays. And the P-Cell strip tape gives the cabinetry a modern, chic quality that speaks directly to the character of the brand.

Installed by David Ritchie Electrical of Inverness, the scheme demonstrates how a well-matched selection from the Ansell range — four products, each doing precisely what is asked of it — can come together to transform a large and varied retail space into something genuinely impressive.