Team

The combined staff experience comprises architectural lighting design and its related disciplines including environmental design, interior design, architecture, industrial design, and electrical engineering.

Founder

Susan Brady, IALD
Founder & Chairman 
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Environmental Design
Parsons | The New School of Design, NY, NY

Susan realized her dream of starting her own architectural lighting design practice with the launch of SBLD Studio in 1994.  Susan’s attention to the functional nuances and aesthetic complexities of lighting, rooted in her studies of environmental design at Parsons, has attracted an impressive collection of award-winning projects around the globe. Susan is proud of both the breadth of the firm’s portfolio and the depth of experience of the design team.

Principals

Bruce Taylor, LC, MIES
President / Managing Principal
Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
Penn State University, State College, PA

Bruce launched his lighting design career 15 years ago at SBLD Studio as an intern and rose through the ranks to become a partner of the firm in 2022. Bruce has a wide and varied lighting design portfolio encompassing the full gamut of project types including medical, institutional, corporate, hospitality, sporting venues, transportation, and residential high-rise projects. He has secured awards for his lighting designs for the USTA Billy Jean King Tennis Center (Grandstand and South Campus) in Queens, Gotham West luxury residential building in Manhattan, and the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.  Bruce is the go-to designer for the most complex of corporate campus projects, masterfully managing their concurrent, multi-phased schedules and dynamic scope.  His experience with domestic and international clients, combined with his architectural engineering and lighting design expertise, are sought-after credentials that SBLD Studio’s clients rely on.

Sara Jane Demel, LC
Associate Principal
Master of Fine Arts, Lighting Design
Parsons | The New School of Design NY, NY
Bachelor of Architecture
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Sara has been a key member of our leadership team for over 20 years, handling all aspects of a project from conceptual design through installation. Coordinating every technical aspect of lighting, Sara has a vast knowledge of the intricacies of fixture details as they relate to architectural elements, including extensive expertise in architectural ceiling systems. The industry regularly takes notice of her design acumen, earning her illumination awards and accolades from IES and the AIA. Sara serves on faculty as a visiting assistant professor in interior design at Pratt University, where she teaches sustainable practice, material research, environmental quality, aesthetics, and technologies as applied to light, color, and materials.

Designers 

Pete Morris
Senior Designer

Nick Galatioto
Designer
SUNY Alfred State College of Technology, NY
Bachelor of Architecture

Administration

Cara Moroze
Operations 

Chelsea DeLucia
Comptroller