ight can be a powerful force: It can focus attention and illuminate details. But often, what shines under the glare of a spotlight is every bit as important as the stories told by the shadows its absence creates. Kitchen designer Alno AG exploited this sense of drama to tell its own story – one that highlighted the contrast between finished kitchens and half-constructed spaces.

The story began when attendees stepped into what Exhibit Design Awards judges called "A study in simplicity and sophistication." Each entrance to the exhibit was a meal-ready kitchen vignette, complete with details such as rosemary shrubs and flowers. Even more striking than the vignettes' details, however, were the bare surroundings in which they existed. Fermacell boards made to look like faux concrete comprised the exhibit's outer shell and interior walls, steel beams remained exposed in the ceiling, and window frames in the interior walls appeared without glass. This juxtaposition of finished versus unfinished didn't just pique attendees' interest; it created a 3-D representation of Alno's newly unveiled print advertisements, which featured completed kitchens standing in isolation amid construction zones.

The raw-looking surfaces above each vignette doubled as projection screens. White sketches, which delineated the development process and specifications for the respective product line, came to life on the open wall space.

Fabrication firm Holtmann GmbH & Co. KG used a mixture of industrial stage lighting and warm, residential lighting to create a unique mix of elegance and function. Through a creative use of light versus dark and raw versus refined, Alno illuminated the stark contrast between award-winning design and lackluster fabrication.