In 1122, a monk by the name of Suger became the abbot of Saint-Denis church in France. The church was highly prominent, as it was official burial church for the kings of France. When Suger acquired it, however, the old church was in horrible disrepair. He recognized the importance of this site, and knew that as-is, it was completely inadequate.

Abbot Suger, however, was a visionary, and instead of viewing the poor state of the church as a problem, he instead saw an opportunity. In 1135, rather than simply restoring the church, he chose to begin rebuilding it. The resulting architecture of this abby church was very progressive, incorporating new methods, and becoming the groundwork of what was to become the Gothic style. To this day, Abbot Suger is seen as one of the main forerunners for the Gothic style. His passion for great design and aesthetics allowed him to reach beyond his peers.

One of the innovations in the abbey church of Saint-Denis was the structural ability to eliminate dark walls to allow more openings for stained-glass windows. Abbot Suger was amazed at the light that came in through the windows, and called it lux nova, which translates as "new light."

The beauty of this new abbey church was so amazing. Abbot Suger himself said that when in the church, he felt as though he was dwelling "in some strange region of the universe which neither exists entirely in the slime of the earth nor entirely in the purity of Heaven," and that it "called [him] away from external cares." This "new light" and several other features of Suger's church became the model for other churches, and set the standard for the Gothic style.

We're calling this 5th stage of our development "Illumination" because we hope to reflect this attitude of innovation and progression. We seek to surpass the status-quo for design. Our aim is to not only produce quality work, but inspirational work. If our work does not push the boundaries of design, while effectively serving its purpose, we have not done our jobs correctly.