The following blog has been written by our MD Matt Lloyd and explores the growing popularity of our lighting services within the residential sector…
When I first founded 3LR Lighting nearly six years, I did so with the mantra of ‘Lighting By Emotion’. This is still something that sits at the core of everything we do and essentially means that every project we deliver is driven by the emotional connection that lighting can evoke; allowing our clients to truly see and experience the full potential lighting has (I wrote a separate blog about this here). And whilst we started out, and still work predominately, in performance spaces, other markets are now drawing on our services, such as houses of worship, cruise ships and even residential spaces… It’s the latter I want to discuss in this blog as more clients than ever are approaching us to see how lighting can be used to transform their homes…
In general, our homes are the places in which we spend most of our time. They’re also the space that is the most personal to us (given they often reflect our own personalities) hence create the strongest emotional connection when compared to any other building. When you consider all of this, it only makes sense that you’d use lighting to truly elevate your residential space to create the exact mood and feel you desire. That said, most people aren’t even aware of the powerful impact lighting can have in their homes – which is why we’re here. Having now worked in several homes, we know first-hand how when you create a lighting set-up that is not only tailored to your vision but becomes an integral part of your property, then your everyday living space can be completely transformed – and go way beyond somewhere that you simply inhabit.
So – how do we approach lighting a residential space? Simply put, we apply the same values and process that we would when lighting say a theatre or cruise ship. To start, it’s all about interrogating the space and really drilling down what exactly it’s going to be used for – and how you want it to make you feel. For instance, if you’re looking for a lighting scheme in your kitchen area (one of the most popular spaces within a home), then you need to consider how you are going to use this area. For example, is it solely for cooking, or will it be used for entertaining guests on an evening? Do you want it to feel intimate or spaced out? Similarly, is it going to be used on a morning during the frantic school run and more throughout the day as a working space? All of these different options need to be considered – as it will then allow us to create a lighting scheme that can fulfils all of these different requirements.
The same principles can then be adhered to all of the other rooms in your home and what you want these to achieve. Is your living room used solely to watch television, or does it feature a desk from which your work? When it comes to the bedroom, do you need lighting that allows you to read before bed, or perhaps lighting which highlights that full-length mirror you use to get dressed on a morning? Similarly, do you take long relaxing baths and so want a lighting scheme that can be tailored to this? It’s also worth then considering how the lighting will look throughout the house and the level of consistency you want to implement (which can then, of course, be tailored to within each individual space).
Once we know exactly what you want in a space, we would then break this down as we would, say, the set-up of lighting a theatre. So staying with the kitchen example, we would consider the positioning of the island, the cooker, the breakfast table, the various drawers and cupboards and determine what lighting would be most suitable for each section. From this, one of our team would then put together a design which takes all of this in, as well as lighting distribution, colour rendering and down lights. We would also look at control, which is vital when it comes to the lighting in your home. One of the most popular options for our clients is to create a scheme where everything is put on a rotating dimmer, from which you can then dim any part of the home, either individually or collectively.
When it comes to our involvement, if possible, it’s always most beneficial if we are involved in a residential project from its inception. For instance, if it’s a completely new build then we can work with the lighting designer and builder from the very start to create the exact lighting scheme you require. Similarly, we can create a lighting schedule that is either then sourced by an electrician or one we can deliver ourselves.
It’s also worth noting the different levels of service that we offer, ranging from bronze, silver and gold. These, of course, depend entirely on the size of the project and our various levels of involvement, though, with the gold service, we are able to create a render which truly allows you to visual what the space will look like even before it’s built – so you can truly see how lighting can elevate your home.
So far, we’ve provided the lighting to over 15 homes, with each one of them being delighted with the end result (a personal favourite of mine was when the client saw what we’d delivered in their kitchen and then said if they’d have known then what we were talking about, they’d have asked us to light the rest of the house!). As a company, we’ve always been driven by changing perspectives when it comes to lighting – especially in regards to the impact it can have on our everyday lives. In today’s world, people shouldn’t be living in homes where the visibility is poor, or the lighting so harsh it’s uncomfortable, or where the light simply doesn’t compliment the aesthetic features onto which it shines. Instead, lighting should be used to deliver the exact ambience you want in your home, elevate the spaces in which you spend the most time and create an emotional response for you and everyone who visits.
If you’d like to speak to me or one of the team about how our lighting can transform your residential space, then please contact us on [email protected]
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