Whether you are designing a lighting scheme for a commercial venture or within a domestic setting, lighting is one of the most flexible and powerful tools you have. Gone are the days when lighting was white, functional and either on or off!
Lighting is as exciting as paint finishes and wallpaper in an interior scheme. For example, at the flick of a switch, bathroom lighting can wash the room with a bright and practical glare or it can be low and sultry with a candlelit effect and highly atmospheric.
Within a commercial setting, lighting can be used to highlight key products or services but also to create the right look for the brand. Anyone who has groped their way around the intended gloom of a Hollister clothing store, part of the Abercronbie and Fitch group, will see this taken to its extreme!
Lighting really has come of age and is increasingly flexible and affordable. The investment in LED is well worth it as its lifespan is significantly longer, estimated at around 50,000 hours, making regular bulb changes a thing of the past. Remember also that a dimmed LED lasts even longer too - unlike the old school light bulbs that used the same energy no matter what their brightness. By making lighting more energy efficient, we have become bolder and more comfortable with introducing different types and styles of lighting within a space.
Have fun with lighting: highlight recessed areas, add light under shelves, along the floor, beneath units and in all sorts of new and unlikely places. Make lighting a key component in your next design scheme.