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Cover Feature
Lighting products are developing at a rapid pace – we ask the experts how to show any interior scheme in its best light
EXAMINE
any top end luxury interior
that has been created by a truly architectural designer, and you will quickly perceive that the project has a fi nished feel, a completeness, that you simply don’t get with an inferior design. Usually one of the key differences is the lighting. The designer has used it as a strong tool to affect the senses of anyone who enters the room. They’ve considered it carefully. It’s as important to them as the style of the furnishings or the colour of the walls. If you are the lucky owner of that
property you will appreciate it still more; intuitive controls, hassle-free products, and light levels are perfect throughout without any ‘glare’. You will enjoy the comments that you get from visitors as they admire stunning accent lighting effects, or remark on the power and simplicity classy mood-lighting system. The lighting refl ects the lifestyle and functions of the individual rooms. The power and potential impact of high quality lighting and a professional design is one of the most striking realities in the interior design market Lighting specialist Hampshire Light has long experience in providing luxury lighting solutions for projects all over the UK. Bruce Reynolds, Head of Lighting Design at Hampshire Light, insists that every lighting package is intensely individual: “Every interior has a personality, its own unique character, and the lighting should be tailored to refl ect that. For example, you would use totally different products in a Surrey barn conversion compared to a very modern London apartment. You cannot generalise; every project is completely different and must be approached with a blank canvas and a wide portfolio of products.” Ian Stanton, Sales & Marketing Director at iGuzzini, believes light is the most important aspect to any scheme: “Without light we see nothing, and with poor quality light all interiors will look poor, no matter how good the design and product specifi cation is. “Lighting can also create atmosphere and emotion. It is also fl exible through controls so the interior can change its feel through changes in the illumination levels and may colour temperature through the use of biodynamic lighting.” Considered lighting design can
accentuate other key elements of the interior,
add depth to a material or colour, illuminate architectural details, create a focal point, offer fl exibility to a space, or create drama to the occasion.
LAYERED LIGHTING Scott Ferrier, Director of LightMedium, believes that good lighting design for the home should consist of layers of discrete and feature lighting. “The layers of lighting should include lighting from varying positions with up-lighting, down-lighting, side-lighting, or back-lighting all playing a part in the overall scheme.” Light and shadow can be equally important for visual effect or create the necessary feel of a space, with control of these layers to get the lighting correct for the time of day or evening, or given function of the space. Ferrier adds: “For my residential project work at LightMedium, the most successful solutions are where the lighting is inherently built in to the interior design solution. Working closely with the architect, interior designer and the end client the lighting is considered during the detail development process allowing lighting equipment to be hidden or integrated. “It’s important to remember that the light effect is the requirement, and I try to lose equipment into the fabric of the build where possible. This ensures the main design elements are well lit and remain the focus without distraction.” Domestic lighting is a fast moving
sector however. Rapidly evolving technology ensures that the principles of good lighting are constantly shifting. Michael Linsky, Managing Director of Sensio Lighting says: “LED has seen a huge upsurge in popularity in recent months – and for good reason. Far more effi cient and powerful than traditional halogen, LED is becoming the lighting of choice for savvy consumers.
“In the past the powerful brightness of LED has meant that it was not suitable for ambient lighting, but state of the art dimming technology has changed this, making LED the smartest choice in the home.”
“LEDs are probably having the biggest effect on how we buy and use lighting,” says John Fearon, Managing Director of Astro Lighting. “This will continue for the next few years, as we adapt to the opportunities and
Above: LED lighting from Hampshire Light
costs that are involved in adopting it. “Not so long ago, the drive to save energy led to a change to bulkier light fi ttings to accommodate low-energy lamps and their associated electronics. Now, with LEDs providing tiny light-sources, there is huge scope for redefi ning what light-fi ttings look like, although their bulky electronics and heat-sinks still need to be factored-in.”
FLEXIBLE LIVING There has been a signifi cant shift in recent years to large, open living areas such as
Above: Slideline by Sensio Lighting
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