&Sun designs light in the presence of the light already there. Daylight and electric light are one medium, composed in concert across the whole course of a day.

Projects range from private houses and small retail spaces, through galleries and major museums, to bridges, stations and terminals for city and state agencies. The attention is the same at every scale: atmosphere, how light meets material, and the complex work of getting it built.

Artistry in lighting starts with a clear concept and is assembled from many building blocks: attention to hierarchy, careful details, smart specifications, right-sized and intuitive controls, thorough documentation, attentive commissioning. Done well, they disappear.

Xena Petkanas founded &Sun in Brooklyn after nearly nine years at Arup.

She trained first in theatrical lighting, and it still shapes the practice: hands on, technically rigorous, adaptable, and sculpting with shadow as much as with light. She holds MFAs in Lighting Design and Interior Design from Parsons, where she teaches a daylighting design studio.

Her work has been recognized by the Illuminating Engineering Society and written up in major publications such as the New York Times, Architectural Digest, Dezeen, and many others. In 2025, Xena was named to Light Collective’s 40 Under 40 best international lighting designers.