Why should you Hire a Lighting Designer?
- Michelle Snyder
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
Lighting is more than just a functional necessity; it plays a crucial role in setting the mood in a space by enhancing the aesthetics. Furthermore, studies show that good lighting can actually improve health and productivity. So whether you are designing a cozy home environment, a vibrant retail space, or a sophisticated restaurant, the right lighting can transform your vision into reality.
The Importance of Lighting Design
Lighting design is an art and science that involves the strategic placement and selection of light sources to achieve the desired effects. It encompasses the science side of how many lumens should be in the space, and the technicality of light fixtures (lumen outputs, CRI, color temperatures, fixture types and finishes) with the art of designing a space to feel a certain way.
Good lighting:
Enhances Aesthetics: Proper lighting can highlight architectural features, artwork, and decor, creating a visually appealing environment.
Improves Functionality: Different spaces require different types of lighting. For instance, task lighting is essential in kitchens and workspaces, while ambient lighting is ideal for relaxation areas.
Sets the Mood: Lighting can evoke emotions and influence the atmosphere of a space. Warm lighting creates a cozy feel, while cooler tones can energize and invigorate.
Increases Safety: Well-lit areas reduce the risk of accidents and enhance security, especially in outdoor spaces.
Light is more than a necessity. It evokes feelings and moods. A lighting designer can help you pick out the right light fixtures, and locations to create the feel you want for your space.
From fixture types, and usage to where to put them, a lighting designer takes a normal space, and makes it amazing.
Meet your designer: What does a good lighting design process look like?
The best designs start with the right questions. Creating a great lighting design takes many things into consideration. Like an interior designer, the more Design With Light knows about you as a client, the better the design will match your needs and desires. Some of these questions can include:
the use of the space
design of the home & furnishings inside
wall colors
ceiling types and colors
color temperature preferred
cabinetry finishes and reflectivity
mood and feel desired
architectural challenges
favorite items or architectural features the client loves
budget of the client
Good to know...
Layered lighting and why it's best:
In each room, light should never come from just one source. Oftentimes homes select a decorative fixture, center it in the room and leave it at that. Since this fixture is the only fixture in the room, it is turned up to full capacity leaving people in the space squinting and feeling uncomfortable while not supplying the amount of light needed for the space.
Layered light is best. Light options dispersed throughout the space, with different purposes creates a balanced, well lit space. Placing the right lights in the right locations, puts light where it needs to be, allowing the brightness levels to be turned down, achieving the necessary light load for the space, while creating the proper mood and comfortability.
When designing a space, we look to incorporate these three types of lighting:
Ambient: Ambient light creates an overall glow. It allows you to move about the space safely and comfortably, without being too bright.
Task Lighting: Task lighting is for task oriented spaces. Task lighting is usually brighter, and it incorporates more light, specifically located to help you perform the appropriate tasks for the space you are in.
Accent: Accent lighting is used to draw the eye to a piece of art, a statue or a design feature you love, such as a wall, or wooden beams.
Incorporating these three types of lighting in spaces creates harmony, and mood while giving ample light for the tasks at hand.
Lighting has come so far...
From the edison bulb, to the lighting in smart homes and the technology that runs them, how we live has changed and the same has for lighting.
LEDs
LEDs were a hit in the market about 15-20 years ago, promising that they were more efficient in energy usage, and that they would last for years longer than the normal light bulb. The color temperatures offered were limited, and usually not desirable.
What has changed? Now, LEDs are the light of choice for almost every application. Their design has improved significantly, almost completely removing the competition in residential and commercial spaces. So what do most LEDs offer now?
Energy usage is extremely low. Some fixtures only require 0.2 watts and still produce amazing light.
Color temperature ranges have increased substantially, allowing versatility in application and use.
LED control has never been better. Ranges of color temperature in fixtures can go from 1400K-10,000K, which wouldn't be possible without the proper control.
Linear Light
Linear light is no longer just for Vegas. Linear light, also known as tape lighting, has come a long way. Not only have linear light manufacturers gotten fancy with manufacturing great LED tape lights with excellent color changing abilities, and tough outdoor ratings, but some manufacturers have taken linear light to a whole new level by adding individual optics along each strand! With it's size, color temperatures, and various application flexibilities, linear light is now an extremely versatile lighting option for homes and commercial projects alike.
Architectural Recessed Lights
There are many architectural recessed lights in the market, but the best are the ones that have excellent glare control. Glare is the bright light that shines in your eyes from a light source, and brings your eyes, and eventually your head, discomfort.
Normal builder's grade lights are usually a high lumen output light fixture, allowing the use of a smaller amount of lights in a space to produce the amount of lumens needed, but these produce a high luminous glare to achieve their high lumen output, which in turn effects the comfort of the occupants living in the space.
The best architectural recessed lights are built to reduce glare as much as possible. These recessed light fixtures are a light fixture recessed into the ceiling like a normal can light, but the light itself is actually recessed even furthur into the ceiling in hopes to remove as much of the glarey light from eye level. Oftentimes, good architectural recessed fixtures offer even more glare control with trim types available such as a pinhole trim, or by adding a lens or a louver to dissipate the light from eye level. These glare-reducing options keep light from glaring in the eyes, while still directing ample light to the necessary spaces.
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