Statement lighting
BEHIND THE DESIGN
This month, we look at how to elevate your LED lighting from a necessity to a feature
by Allan Corfield
IMAGE: LIGHTING SCHEME BY JOHN CULLEN LIGHTING (WWW.JOHNCULLENLIGHTING.COM)
Two issues ago we looked at bringing natural daylight into a home through rooflights — but when the night draws in, you obviously have to rely on artificial lights, and with the increasing quality and affordability of LED lights, it’s now easy and cost effective to integrate lighting design features into your property.
At this time of year, with its long nights and dim days, our homes become more reliant on good lighting. How successfully this is implemented will directly impact upon our mood and our ability to carry out a wide variety of tasks, from home working to reading a bedtime story.
Lighting is often neglected or added as an afterthought to the design of a new home — but it shouldn’t be, given its importance. In this article I hope to outline some of the key areas to consider when coming up with your overall lighting plan, and provide some eye-catching, impactful and cost-saving ideas that you can integrate into your own project.
HIRING A LIGHTING DESIGNER
As part of the design process your architect or designer may offer you some advice on lighting your interiors; however, this usually is little more than a basic discussion of compliance with the Building Regulations. Most of our clients opt to hire an experienced, independent lighting designer.