Residential and commercial spaces require lighting that is designed in a way to encourage the occupants so that their respective tasks can be performed appropriately. The importance of lighting in interior design plays a vital role. Offices, retail stores, institutions, and hospitals are some of the common types of commercial spaces. There are several ways to improve the working environment in such structures, and good lighting is one of them.
We spoke to Sol Luminaire, our go-to lighting design planner, on the things to look out for in choosing lighting in homes and office or retail settings. They also can assist homeowners or business owners by providing efficient ways to integrate lighting in their residential and commercial spaces.
1- Lighting Design – Impact on Your Home’s Suitability
Many people aren’t entirely aware of how crucial lighting design is to your home and way of life. Thought should be given to the type of lighting and arrangement your home requires because it will have a significant impact on both your everyday life. This is something that often goes unconsidered.
Research has shown that lighting design has a big impact on our mental and emotional health. Electricity alone won’t adequately illuminate the spaces in your home. Lighting can reflect your personality and make a house feel like a home.
A Flawless Balance
A perfect balance of natural and artificial light is guaranteed by a flawless lighting design, maximizing comfort throughout the day. So, the amount of natural light entering the room should be your first consideration when designing lighting points.
Source: A Mix of Mid-Century and Modern Touch | 55K House @ Jalan Lim Tai See
Understanding how the area is illuminated during the day begins by taking into account the quantity, kind, and placement of windows. These factors can be used to build artificial lighting placement that is both practical and capable of enhancing the room’s decor.
Playing with light and shadow will boost the dynamic outlook of a home when lights are positioned in a cluster and further from one another, while a general lighting coverage can be created with closer arrangement.
2- Key Considerations for Lighting Integration – What You Need to Know?
In projects involving interior design, lighting is important. Planning the number and placement of light sources carefully is crucial for enhancing a room’s features and traits. The furniture stands out and is highlighted by sufficient lighting, which also fosters a friendly mood and a relaxing ambience.
There are several considerations to be followed when buying lights for your space. Here are some key points that you should never miss:
Purpose of Lighting
Well-lit rooms are attractive and cool to look at. However, when integrating lighting into your space, the most important element to be considered is to know what exactly you need to achieve.
In a space like bathroom, kitchen or study area, it often requires a task light as we usually do certain activities like putting on makeup, chopping ingredients, cooking, or reading. Do make sure that the area where you are going to do such activities, are well-lit and shadows are reduced or softened, so that it does not interrupt the mood in the space.
Source: Nostalgic Charm in a Contemporary House Vibe | Kim Keat Lodge @ Balestier | Penthouse
Color Temperature and Color Rendering Index (CRI)
When working, cold light is preferred since it increases concentration and productivity. Warm light is great for spaces in the home where you need to create an intimate and soothing ambience, such as in the bedroom or living room. It is subjective to every homeowner’s preference on the color temperature that they would like to have in their home, some prefer a warmer ambience of 3000K, some prefer a whiter shade of 4000K, but consistency is the key to achieve a visually pleasant aesthetic throughout the space.
Color Rendering Index is equally important as it determines how natural the object color is as compared to it being under daylight. The lower the CRI value (100 being the highest), the more unnatural colors appear when illuminated by the light source.
Source: Kitchen at Maplewoods
Level of Brightness
The next element to consider is finding the level of brightness that your room requires. Consider the owner’s appetite for lighting, the ceiling height of your space, and the room size to find out the level of brightness that is needed. Some homeowners prefer a home that has a whiter shade than the other, because it is often associated with a brighter feel. However, we will not recommend a 6000K light which is close to a natural outdoor daylight and feels cold like an office setting.
The most cutting-edge approach is a home automation system that automatically adjusts the amount of artificial light in accordance with the amount of natural light. Another option is to have the light controlled with a dimmer switch. “There are 2 types of dimming system, one allows you to dim the color temperature from 3000K to 1800K, or from 5000K to 2700K, the other allows you to adjust the brightness only without adjusting the color temperature, so it will still have the same tone throughout,” Zhikai, the marketing manager of Sol Luminaire explains to us during a showroom visit.
Energy Efficiency
According to estimates, 20% of the world’s total power production goes towards lighting. Our health, comfort, safety, and productivity are all impacted by the type and amount of light, as well as the economy. Lighting consumes a significant portion of the electricity budget in many countries. Therefore, keeping in mind the energy efficiency of your lighting is vitally important. This is significant because both allow for the adjustment of light intensity and because it lowers consumption of energy and boosts energy effectiveness.
Source: Antiques to Complement a Contemporary Home | Maplewoods @ Bukit Timah | 3 Bedroom Condominium
Light Layering
The light source should not just come from top – down or a ceiling mounted light. It would be more beneficial for a space to have light layering and options to have a space lit-up. An entrance walkway or corridor, for example, will have a more dramatic look if there are small lights embedded low on the side walls. A bathroom will have a cozier feel to have a soft light diffused against the textured finish on the wall, just like what we used in this project below.
Source: Bathroom at Kim Keat Lodge
Style and Design
The last but one of the most important aspects to be considered when integrating lighting in your space is to know the style and design that suits your home. There are various types of light. In general, there are recessed and surface mounted lights. This applies to every light that will be mounted either on the ceiling, wall, or floor. There are some considerations in choosing the type of light that you can use especially if you have limited space on wall or ceiling as recessed light requires a minimum of 75mm thick of false board so it can house the entire body of the light fixture, some will require more like 150mm.
Source: Kitchen at Kim Keat Lodge
For a surface mounted light, it is a more straight-forward approach in installation, but the electrical work requires more effort (and $$$) as the wire has to be concealed inside the wall.
Final Verdict
Lighting design is a crucial element in the design of any space. Investing in good lighting design is a wise decision that can pay off in many ways, including improved aesthetics, functionality, and comfort. Most importantly, look for the key considerations before choosing your lighting option. At the end of the day, lighting is all that matters.