Specialist Lighting Schemes

Specialist Lighting Schemes

Did you know that Design Me offers Specialist Lighting Schemes? Well… We do and our in-house lighting specialist has made a list of his top 5 key design principles. Have a Read!

1. Don’t light everything

Diffused lights cannot be controlled, and result in flat, over lit and undefined spaces, wasting illumination and energy. Directional lights allow me to use less light in a more focused way. Using directional lights, along with the design techniques below, I am able to create a high-impact, efficient and practical space, while reducing the amount of lights required and the cost of your project. Rather than using only recessed downlights, I try to use accent lighting to break up the uniformity and accent the main interior features within your project.

2. Design for Efficiency

Design efficacy is the cost per lumen (rather than the cost per light fitting). A project’s cost per lumen can be reduced by up to half with the correct intentional placement of fittings and making sure that I am using the most effective fitting for the space.

3. Use height

Using light height to lead the eye and create the desired mood for a space. Lights placed above eye level creates a higher energy in a space, while lights placed below eye level provide a sense of calm.

4. Colour Temperature (CCT)

This is in reference to how ‘warm’ or ‘cool’ white light appears. The difference between cool light in the morning and warm in the evening is how our bodies know to cycle between activity and rest. Very low CCTs, like 2700K, evoke a sense of calm and even sleepiness. Slightly higher 3000K CCT in residential, restaurant, or hotel space incites calm while retaining a sense of alertness. Moderate 4000K lighting for commercial use creates a balance of mental activity and endurance. This is the recommended CCT for positive experiences in offices, retail spaces, galleries and other places most frequented in the daytime.

5. Control

The more options a lighting design has, the better placed it is to adapt to the different needs in a single space. Placing various light types and differently spaced lights on separate circuits provides more options to combine each circuit for different scenes. With the use of new technologies such as Casambi I have been able to bring a new level of control to our projects. Making multiple scenes for the space giving the client full usability of there building.

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