Lighting design is partly a mathematical process and partly a series of visual sequences. It is also a very captivating concept. The captivating point comes from the way it is able to work and the role it carries in interior and exterior spaces. Lighting is also an investment that can make or break the manner in how an entire interior or exterior commercial or residential environment is able to work.
Lighting can bring an emotional value to architecture – it helps create an experience for those who occupy the space. Whether it’s daylighting or artificial lighting, light draws attention to textures, colours, and forms of a space, helping architecture achieve its true purpose. This is in the sense it can really highlight some of the most significant aspects and features to a space.
Where how lighting design is so key
Creating an interior design project without a lighting designer is like going out for dinner and only eating what’s in the bread basket. The bread may be excellent, but you’re missing out on many more interesting dishes. Expertly placed lighting adds another dimension to a space, bringing an interior design project to life.
Having great lighting in place is able to create depth and height, cosy spots, and draws attention to your most impressive areas. It’s all about the balance of light and shade and bringing new energy to an interior. An architect or interior designer may just draw a grid of downlights into their plans for your interior, which won’t do justice to what they have designed. Calling in lighting experts to work in harmony with your interior designer or architect will maximise the impact of your space.
Its key role in interior design and for interior designers
Lighting is as important as every other element of the design. Good lighting changes and transforms a space. We use light and shade to make a room feel comfortable but also dramatic and atmospheric. Let’s say we want to highlight an artwork on a wall, we need a downlight to hit the artwork but in combination with a darker area around – this then draws our eye to the painting.
A lot of the skill comes off of combining downlights, uplights, wall lights, floor lights, hidden lights, feature lights, integrated architectural lighting, pendants and lamps to add vast interest and depth to each room. A good designer for this will be able to very easily apply different strategies for different solutions.
Decorative lighting
Decorative lighting is important but a good lighting designer will combine it with architectural lighting for the best results. For a soft late-afternoon cosiness, you may just turn on the decorative lighting to watch TV, or read your book under a pretty lamp, or enjoy an aperitif. At other times, you will need a fuller combination of lights.
Selecting a good designer for choosing the right fixtures and fittings
While an interior designer may select decorative lighting fixtures to go with their scheme, a professional lighting designer will bring solid technical knowledge along with creative solutions for your space. That’s not saying an interior designer will fail to provide a competent lighting design. The difference is an experienced architectural lighting designer can creatively assess the space, use techniques to create real value with light, and bring technical knowledge to assist with lighting controls too.
Sticking to the right budget for lighting
Using expertise and past experiences, architectural lighting designers can work closely alongside you to not only help establish a budget, but provide the best lighting solution within that. This is achieved by specifying lighting equipment and techniques to reduce installation costs, as well as selecting established lighting fixtures from various manufacturers. Lightnet lighting for example is something of a market leader and has some of the best fittings in the market at present. No detail has been spared when it comes to the levels of R & D that have been undertaken to help create the perfect end products for the end user. Other brands also include Simon Lighting and Ivela, among others.
How good lighting can actually help you with your overall wellbeing
The quality of light within a space has a direct impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. Good lighting enhances our mood and contributes towards how well we sleep. Poor lighting can disrupt our concentration, cause eye strain, headaches, and fatigue. By hiring an architectural lighting designer, you can expect a lighting scheme that will enhance your wellbeing. This is all alongside the aesthetics and practicality of your home. The same too can be said in the workplace – even retail. More and more there is money being spent in these places and all for good effect too. It is a wise investment in terms of the difference it can very quickly make.
The importance of creating a great wow factor on the project
Architectural lighting designers understand light and how to use it like nobody else. They take each scenario as it comes and use the most effective products and techniques to achieve the effects, functions, and style you’re looking for. Put simply, architectural lighting designers can create that ‘wow’ factor that will make you appreciate light at a greater scale. More than that, other people will be able to appreciate the lighting a great deal more also.
Effectively bringing in colour into your project
Colour is a powerful tool in lighting design and is something that can alter atmospheres and even convey meaning. From the cues we take from traffic lights and neon street signs, to the feelings inspired by concert light shows, colour has the power to make us think and feel a certain way. However, tapping into this is easier said than done. Striking the balance between garish and lacklustre is a real art form. Luckily, there’s plenty of technology out there that gives designers better flexibility with how they use colour in their designs. There are items of software where a lighting designer can help to bring a new project concept to life. This is largely on software such as Sketchup and similar other softwares too.
In architectural lighting schemes, colour is used to set the tone or ambiance of a room, building or space. Even in schemes that don’t look outwardly colourful, subtle shades of white light are used to different effect. They can add a touch of class. They are also able to soften some of the most harsh areas you may also see too. You can lift even the darkest of spaces and areas.
Overall
Some projects demand no-compromise lighting solutions. No modifications of familiar luminaires but new constructions, so-called special luminaires. These enable the implementation of planning impulses from which both architects and planners benefit to the same extent. Lighting functions here mostly as a design element and discreetly emphasises the architecture. It guides attention to the essentials and transforms architectural features into unforgettable moments. Lighting itself though can also attract attention. This is where time and time again it is imperative to have a good architectural lighting design team. There are a number of these in the UK. London has some of the very best lighting design consultants that the market can offer. They will literally help you with your projects needs every step of the way.
