What is a home lighting plan, and why is it important?
Good lighting will literally change the way your home looks, feels, and functions! In this blog I chat about the art and science of lighting layouts and the risks of unplanned lighting installations. I review the four lighting layers and also the four approaches I use for controlling lighting zones. Discover how working with lighting plan designer can change your home forever!
Lighting Plans: An Art and a Science
The types of lighting fixtures, in correct locations, and the accurate quantity and scale of those lighting fixtures will make or break the space. Great lighting design is crucial to how a space functions and feels. Lighting reveals the form, finish, and detail of a space and supports the aesthetic aspects of the home’s architecture and overall design. Great lighting design is an art and a science. The science is getting the correct number of fixtures in the right locations, with the appropriate arrangement and ease of use controls, that will provide the best illumination for all activities conducted in the spaces. The art is ‘Tayloring’ the lighting based on the nuances of the space while still achieving symmetry and selecting appropriate fixture types that provide both the ultimate function and a beautiful visual experience.
There is nothing haphazard about lighting and this important feature of a home should never be left to the judgment of an installer.
As an interior residential lighting specialist, I consider all the activities for the spaces where I’m designing the lighting plan. Questions I answer when developing a lighting design include: Where’s the natural sunlight coming from and what time of day does this sunlight illuminate the spaces? How does your family utilize the spaces? How will these activities in the spaces be illuminated? What visual experiences will your family enjoy in these spaces? Where and how is the lighting integrated into the architecture? Are there any architectural details or special furniture pieces that you want to illuminate?
“Great lighting design is both an art and science. There is nothing haphazard about lighting and this important feature should never be left to the judgment of an installer!”
Four Lighting Layers
I practice a holistic lighting design approach using four layers. All four layers together create a functional and beautiful visual experience. Some types of lighting serve multiple purposes and you will see them listed in more than one layer. Here’s what I mean by layers:
Task: Lighting meant to help you perform tasks; functional illumination. Types of task lighting include recessed, ceiling mount, track lighting, cabinetry lighting, and more.
Decorative: The jewelry or sparkle of the space. Shows personality and is complimentary to the design. Generally, we should not rely on this this type of light for function. Types of decorative fixtures include chandeliers, pendants, sconces, and portable lamps.
Accent: Mood lighting, relaxation. Light that reflects from the ceiling or walls. Examples of accent lighting include an indirect light source that reflects up onto the ceiling and bounces from the walls like with wall washing or grazing from certain types of recessed fixtures, wall sconces depending on their shape, puck lights, cove lighting, above cabinetry lighting, spot lighting for artwork, linear strip lighting in cabinetry toe kick area and inside glass front cabinets, lighting in stairs or stairways/walkways, architectural wall features such as a tile or stone wall or fireplace wall.
Ambient: Casts light evenly in all directions- omni-directional, for function. Similar to task lighting but fills in any other gaps in areas that need illumination, such as walkways. Types of fixtures can be recessed, ceiling, pendant, sconces, and portable lamps.
Lighting Controls
Lighting controls are switches, dimmers and/or systems of linked devices. Consider that a standard kitchen may have nine recessed task or ambient fixtures, two pendant decorative fixtures, under wall cabinet task lighting the countertops, inside cabinetry decorative lighting, and toe kick lighting as ambient and accent lighting. Reflect on the kitchen island for a moment, which commonly has multiple activities centered around it from homework to food preparation to entertaining. Each activity requires a different amount and level of lighting. Not all light fixtures in a kitchen should be wired to one switch. This would limit not only the function but also the aesthetics. Again, consideration for how the spaces will be used is key and providing separate lighting zones is needed.
At the core of artificial lighting, we are trying to mimic natural sunlight.
Here are four approaches I use for controlling lighting zones:
Task: Adjusting lighting to support different visual tasks. Typically involves adjusting the amount of light directed to the task.
Ambience: Modifying to the amount and sometimes the color temperature of the light to enhance the emotional experience of the space. What is meant by color temperature? At the core of lighting, we are trying to mimic natural sunlight. Sunlight encompasses many different colors throughout the day, based on the time of the day, ranging from very blue hued cool colors, which gives us energy (morning), to very red hued warm colors, which relaxes us (evening). It’s not as if the light appears red or blue, rather, it’s a subtle distinction to the hue that our bodies recognize. Dynamic color temperature lighting is where the color temperature of the lighting in your home changes with the time of the day to mimic the natural sunlight effects. This is sometimes referred to as circadian lighting. Our circadian system is affected by lighting, which influences our energy levels and desire to sleep, alertness, and even our hunger levels. A well-designed effective lighting design can support healthy circadian stimulation and even seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Environmental and Economic: Control lighting to reduce energy consumption and/or extend the life of the light. LED lights are more efficient and last longer. Dimmers or pre-programmed controls reduce the amount of energy used based on what is needed for any given task.
Convenience: Linked devices to control lighting from various entry points. This can be a simple 3-way switch, motion sensors, or integrated smart home controls with automatic pre-set timed circadian programming based on the time of day, task, or scene/setting desired. Can also be motion sensor-controlled lights for a hallway, closet, mudroom, etc. Taylored Kitchens and Baths partners with smart home Integrators to eliminate wall acne from switches and integrate smart functions such as timed lighting and lighting scenes. Smart lighting controls can be from your phone, wi-fi voice controlled, and may also include a wall control panel.
All Taylored Kitchens and Baths, kitchen and bath designs include a lighting plan.
In addition, whole home lighting designs and plans are available. The lighting design and plan shows the types of lighting and the schematic design of the location of lighting fixtures and outlets, including multiple light circuits and the connections to switches or controls.
Are you ready to upgrade your home lighting? Lighting design and plans are a large part of the National Kitchen and Bath Association training that I achieved to obtain my Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer designation. Because I appreciate the significance of lighting, I craved learning more, so I attended an intensive multi-day lighting design program at The University of Colorado, one of the best lighting programs in the world. You can trust my knowledge and experience to create well-lit homes that will function and feel fabulous for many years to come.
