PLANNING YOUR SMART LIGHTING

This tech is much more than controlling brightness on your smartphone – it’s about layering scenes, boosting wellbeing and enhancing your living spaces, says Emily Batesmith

In this design by Brilliant Lighting, the living spaces feature layered lighting schemes that can be adjusted at the touch of a button

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Before taking on a major home project, you might have paid little attention to the options surrounding your home’s artificial lighting. Yes, you’ve been opting for energy efficient bulbs and dimmer switches have long allowed for brightness control, but smart lighting takes things much further. A well-planned install allows you to create preset moods that respond directly to how you want to use your rooms at different times of day and through the seasons.

Smart lighting can be controlled from the lightswitch, but also from your phone or even voice activation – plus it can be automated so that it works in the background without any thought from you. “You can create or adjust your “scenes”, such as movie night, cooking or evening unwind, at any time,” says Simon Johnson, country manager for Theben Automation. “It’s designed to feel natural and user-friendly, not technical.”

Here, I’m delving into how smart lighting works and what kinds of setup could suit your household.