Originally from Hong Kong, Shiu-Kay moved to the UK and trained as an architect in the 1970s. From there he specialised in lighting and got his first big break with a kite light for Habitat.
Shiu-Kay set up SKK Lighting in 1979 and had a shop on Soho’s Lexington Street for 30 years, which attracted customers with a neon dinosaur light. He made the move to Brecknock Road, Kentish Town in 2016.
Neon signs and statement lightbulbs
One of the young store assistants advised Shiu-Kay to move the neon signs to the other side of the shop so that the neon lights were more eye-catching to traffic driving past!
“I had a woman with a Zimmer frame come in just before Christmas and she said, ‘I'm going to Glasgow, can you decorate this frame with lights?’ So I attached battery powered lights around the frame and off she went to Glasgow.” You never know who’s about to come through the door!
Shiu-Kay “had a glamorous stage” and “was a star” in the 80s and 90s featuring in many newspapers for his designs and serving famous clients such as Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westowood and Annie Lennox.
He also designed the lighting scheme at the Memorial Gates on London’s Constitution Hill, erected in 2002.
Whether you’re looking to have a family heirloom repaired or buy a one-of-a-kind light fixture, SKK can do it all! Follow their Instagram to see their creations.
