Making Light Great, Again

Making Light Great, Again

Interoir Design

Ask a photographer what is most important and the answer from a professional will be light. The latest gear, the greatest tripod is secondary to the presence and quality of light. Seeing is the predominant sense, and arguably gets the most attention in our lives and surroundings. In the spaces we occupy, scale, ratios, and interplay with natural and artificial light is carefully calibrated by Architects and Artists to make a structure visually appealing, and invoke emotions. Architecture worked around the ability of humans to illuminate structures at night and natural light in the day-time. The great temples of India are a testament to this interplay and one still gets awed at the precise design and placement of features.
Innovation never stops, and after the discovery of the light bulb in 1879, the pace has quickened. Complexity and nuance go hand-in-hand, and expertise is needed to decode aspects that would otherwise be blamed on a feeling of something being ‘off’. You can make a statement in many ways, and each of our ways is unique, correct, and appropriate. As you research and pick up a car that is a reflection of who you are, and what you want to convey, illumination of your home needs a similar degree of love and attention. Of course, do pay attention to emotion, and what tugs at your heart.
We take you through some great options currently available in the market to light up your home. This knowledge will help you to have a more meaningful discussion with your Architect while illuminating your spaces.
Luxury LED fittings is the broad head under which these lighting solutions can be classified. These are different from LED bulbs in that they are designed for specific applications keeping in mind LED as a light source. These bring out the full potential of the LED solution. These are the ones you should be looking at while designing your house, and specifically luxury lighting fixtures. They allow you to customise the light colour, water resistance (IP Ratings), outdoor or indoor specific solutions, and offer flexibility of a small form factor.
These LED fittings come in myriad of options. To make it less confusing, you can help use the framework below:
1. Application of the light, for example, do you want them to be seen in the form of a chandelier, or keep the light source hidden while you can only see the light like cove lighting, or lighting the staircase. For lighting up paintings, wall claddings, and texture paint walls, focus lights should be used. Luxury lighting fixtures are usually mated to specific application. For outdoors, luxury outdoor lighting will provide a healthy IP rating as well as a specific throw of light to
highlight a specific element like a small fountain, foliage or cladding.
2. Room where the light will be installed, for example, in a home theatre surrounding, we typically will use low wattage focus lighting which is recessed so that it does not hit the eye directly. For dining areas, we will use higher
wattage lights at the periphery while matching the light colour and signature of the high end chandelier that sits atop the eating area so that it grabs attention. Also, in romantic settings, one can use only the soft lighting of the chandelier. Luxury bedside lamps, luxury hanging lights, and luxury lighting for master bedroom will typically give you options for soft, rich light that helps highlight the wallpapers, luxury curtains and textured walls that you install in such spaces. Luxury lighting for kids bedrooms includes ceiling lights in forms of stars and galaxies which keep them excited, and is a conversation starter with their friends. Luxury pendant lights for kitchen bring out the mood and highlight the clean lines of a modern space, especially after you are done cooking, and are having some me time with some snacks at the island at the end of the day.
3. Multi-use areas, for example, in living spaces, one desires the option to choose soft lighting for relaxing evenings, and bright lighting for parties. Luxury ceiling lights, and luxury floor lamps complement each other beautifully in such situations. Multiple light colours are also an option, but have to be used with care to ensure they do not appear gaudy.
4. Automation and light saving. In bathrooms, and home-office spaces and indeed outside the home when guests are at the door, you might want to install motion sensor based lights to do away with switches altogether. A set of lights
can be automated depending on the time of day, and the application (watching a movie, party at home, dinner time lights can be customised). Luxury bedside lamps can be programmed to shut down with a dimmer effect, giving that extra bit of drama and transitioning to sleep. Luxury bathroom light fixtures can switch on automatically, and provide very specific bright lights near the mirror and bath areas while keeping the rest of the space moody and dimly lit
highlighting the play of shadows.
5. Budget. With innovation and multiple solutions, there is a very broad scale of budgets that the market caters to. It is prudent to decide a range since it is very likely to get carried away and then realise that budget is a constraint. If your
budget is not a constraint, congratulations! You are spoilt for choice. In your case, make sure the design is not over-done and is well balanced.
Other options are the humble incandescent bulb. Once ubiquitous, this bulb is rare to find, but does get see application in some situations where an element of history is to be created. An aspect where we have used this bulb is when we needed heat with light! While still cheap, it has very limited use. There are variations of this bulb where the filaments are exaggerated and this is used for signature lighting and drawing attention to the light source, as well as the quality of the light that is put out. Such bulbs put out calm, soothing warm colours that do not hurt the eyes. These
high end chandeliers and luxury hanging lights are used for areas of social interaction like bar counters, chandeliers in living spaces, and high end chandeliers for dining rooms.

LED bulbs, while ubiquitous, are the least preferred for home use. Harsh light, that is hard on the eyes and an unnatural tint relegate these to be used in mass market spaces, grocery stores and shops that need to feel like day at night. If these are to be used in your home, please use them with diffusers in the form of glass chandeliers, light shades, or acrylic covers. LEDs designed for traditional replacement sockets are designed for a purpose, and luxury is not that purpose.
Other considerations
Have a voltage filter or stabiliser installed for your entire house to make sure that fluctuations do not damage this sensitive equipment. Solutions are available that can filter the electricity supply at the source itself so that you need not purchase separate equipment for expensive appliances.
Luxury wall lights, luxury outdoor lighting and luxury bathroom lighting are kitted to be linked to home automation solutions. It is advisable for the architect to talk to home automation, sound, and lighting vendors together to come to the best solution so that the dependencies are ironed out and you have a solution that will work smoothly for a long time.
Disposal and services should be done by authorised personnel only. This ensures longevity and fit for use for a longer time.
We hope this short article was of use to you. When you go with your architect to design your dream-home, please do use this framework to simplify and ease your decision making process. Today’s market has a lot of choice. We help you choose an effective solution. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss your particular needs. We can be reached at info.thinkstudios@gmail.com

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