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lighting design
Making the right choices can make or break
your interior scheme. Follow this expert
advice to guarantee the best results Words Luke Tebbutt
T
oo often, homes are over-lit with grids of
downlights, but with a little bit of forethought,
you can transform your interior and make the
most of every room. By mapping out the functional
areas and decorative features, you can create a more nuanced,
economical and eco-friendly scheme. Lighting accounts for
eight per cent of a typical home’s energy bills, according to
the Energy Saving Trust (energysavingtrust.org.uk), and
if you’re planning any building work, a proportion of new
lights will need to be energy efficient. Read on to find out
the different options of lighting available for your home.
A group of
pendants make
a great feature,
particularly over
a table. The
Triangular Diner
125 pendant has
an open base for
better overhead
illumination.
From £658.80.
Davey Lighting
(020 7351 2130;
davey-lighting.
co.uk)
Getting started
Lighting should be like a good waiter:
always serving a purpose, but never
drawing attention to itself. The key
is to illuminate more than just the
floor. Picking out features such as
fireplaces, pictures or interesting
wall textures will bring a room to life,
and can make a small space seem
bigger. Layering will create depth,
so mix floorstanding and ceiling
lights with mid-level table and wall
lamps. Before you begin, observe
how lighting works (or doesn’t work)
in other spaces, such as restaurants,
bars and other homes, and visit
lighting showrooms to familiarise
yourself with the rapidly changing
range of lights available. For design
advice, visit John Cullen Lighting (020
7371 5400; johncullenlighting.co.uk),
which runs regular drop-in lighting
workshops in London.
sourcebook Grand Guide
Pendants, downlights and spots
Bathroom lights
Avoid banks of downlights across an entire ceiling, which
do little more than light the floor, making a room feel smaller.
‘The trick is to pick out what you want to light in the space,
whether it’s a sofa, mirror or picture, so when you walk into a
room, you’re not looking directly at the source – you’re actually
looking at the object being lit,’ says Lucy Martin, design director
at John Cullen Lighting.
For functional areas such as your kitchen (see p169 for more),
map your lighting around how the space will be used – nobody
wants to end up preparing food under their own shadow. And
for dining tables, consider a row of pendants, or one large one,
to create a more intimately lit space that is still just as functional.
‘You want pockets and pools of light,’ says Martin. Open-plan
spaces also require careful circuiting, so you don’t have to have
all the lights on at once. For ceiling lights, consider two circuits –
one in the kitchen, and another in the dining or living space.
This house
by architect
Lawson Robb
(020 7351 9383;
lawsonrobb.com)
features clusters
of pendants that
bounce light off
the metallic wall
surfaces and
mirrors along the
narrow hallway,
casting interesting
shadows on the
ceiling and filling
the area with light
Need to know
The downlighting in this house by
Gregory Phillips Architects (020 7724
3040; gregoryphillips.com) focuses
on illuminating objects, such as
paintings, tables and furniture, rather
than the floor. The scheme is divided
into four circuits, so different areas
can be turned on or off independently
A combination
of fixed and
pendant lights in
this barn-style
new-build allows
the owner to
choose either
a functional or
intimate lighting
scheme. Designed
by Bruce Munro
Architectural
Lighting (01985
845 228; bruce
munro.co.uk)
166
october 2012
Darren Chung; Mark Pickthall; Tom Sullam; Paul Tyagi
Gregory Phillips
Architects (020
7724 3040;
gregoryphillips.
com) mapped the
recessed ceiling
lights in this house
around the layout
of the room. They
are set specifically
above functional
areas such as the
island, oven and
dining table
Production has now ceased for
all traditional incandescent bulbs.
Once current stocks are sold,
they will no longer be available.
Halogen lights are the nearest
equivalent, with a clear finish and
a bright-white light. They have a
2,000-hour lifetime* (twice that of
an incandescent) and are fully
dimmable. Compact fluorescent
lights (also called energy-saving
lights) have an opal finish, a
lifespan of 8,000+ hours*, and
come in dimmable versions. LEDs
are the most energy efficient, with
a lifespan of 20,000+ hours*, and
also come in dimmable styles.
New lights are measured by
lumens (a measure of brightness)
rather than watts (the rate of
electricity consumption), and this
will be displayed on the packaging.
According to the Energy Saving
Trust (energysavingtrust.org.uk),
a 1,200-1,300 lumen light is
equivalent to a 100W
incandescent bulb – suitable for
lighting a whole room; 650-700
lumen is equivalent to a 60W
incandescent; 350-400 lumen is
equivalent to a 40W incandescent,
suitable for reading; and 200-225
lumen is equivalent to 25W
incandescent, ideal for cupboards.
Building regulations require
75 per cent of fixed lighting in a
new-build to be energy efficient,
and the same for any new building
work in an existing home, such as
an extension. Approved document
L1 sets out the rules (download for
free at planningportal.gov.uk).
These need to be both functional
and beautiful in equal measure,
and IP rated (ingress protection –
the higher the rating, the more
protected it is from moisture).
Overhead lighting above your
vanity mirror is necessary, but the
facial shadows it creates are not,
so put a wall light on either side to
fill these in – 1.55m above the
floor is an ideal height. Also, light
directed to the top of your head
creates more shadow, so direct it
at the mirror, which will bounce
back on to your face for a more
flattering light.
To make a small bathoom seem
bigger, position lights at the back
of a shower to bounce light off the
walls. Lighting reflective details,
such as taps or towel rails, will
make the room appear brighter.
Highlighting the
wall, rather than
the floor, can
make a room feel
bigger. Architect
Lawson Robb
(020 7351 9383;
lawsonrobb.com)
has used recessed
ceiling downlights,
perfectly angled
to pick out the
texture of the wall
Illuminating
shiny details such
as taps and towel
rails can boost a
small bathroom.
Michael Trentham
Architects (020
7231 5931;
mtarch.co.uk),
also concealed a
fluorescent strip
beneath the bath
Wall lights have been fixed to either side of the mirror to
fill in shadows caused by lighting from above; the frosted
casing gives a softer glow. £265 each, John Cullen
Lighting (020 7371 5400; johncullenlighting.co.uk)
*Based on average use of three
hours per day. Source: John Lewis
(0845 604 9049; johnlewis.com)
october 2012
167
sourcebook Grand Guide
Lighting a kitchen
Use low-energy
LEDs where lights
will be left on for
longer periods,
such as halls and
stairs. John Cullen
Lighting (020 7371
5400; johncullen
lighting.co.uk) has
used recessed
1W LED lights
to highlight the
treads and create
an intimate mood
This all-purpose room needs careful
planning, and should be mapped
around how you will use the space.
A central pendant is impractical as
it offers general light and lots of
shadows. A row of directional
spotlights offers flexibility – though
recessed versions will accumulate
less dust and grease, which means
less cleaning. If you have high ceilings,
make sure the lights are strong
enough to go the distance. And if your
kitchen is open plan, mix low-level
lights into the scheme, so you can
fix a drink or clear up plates without
interrupting the other areas.
A strip of light beneath the island unit
makes it appear as though it’s hovering
above the ground. Michael Trentham
Architects (020 7231 5931; mtarch.co.uk)
This kitchen incorporates
recessed, overhead and wall
lighting for a scheme that’s both
functional and atmospheric.
Designed by John Cullen Lighting
(020 7371 5400; johncullen
lighting.co.uk), it uses 1W LED
Cazalla lights recessed near the
floor, uplighters on the wall and
concealed strips of LED Contour
Lighting Design International
(020 8600 5777;
lightingdesign international.
com) has used brighter LEDs
within the staircase of this
penthouse to create a cool
feature. In contrast, the
LEDS concealed within the
bookshelves fill these areas
with a soft and subtle glow
Recessed and concealed
This allows you to see the light, but not the source, so it
appears natural. You can recess lights into walls or joinery,
or conceal strips beneath kitchen islands or above cupboards,to
make these bulky items appear lighter, almost as though they
are floating. Recessing a row of LED lights in the walls or ceiling
of a hallway is another good use. This will accentuate your hall’s
length and conceal its narrowness; it also uses minimal power
in a space where lights can remain on for long periods.
This home
cinema room
by architect
Lawson Robb
(020 7351 9383;
lawsonrobb.com)
has recessed
LED lighting in the
ceiling, where the
air conditioning is.
The colour of
LEDs is affected
by temperature,
so the architect
had to experiment
to achieve a
warmer cast
Charles Hosea
Threefold
Architects
(020 8969 2323;
threefold
architects.com)
created some
striking low-level
ambient lighting
in this home by
concealing it
beneath a bank
of built-in units
Using LEDs
LEDs are expensive, and although
they have improved a lot recently,
quality and output of light still varies,
so you need to spend more to get the
best. ‘We’ve seen many homes with
LEDs, where the colour temperature
is so variable because they haven’t
spent a bit extra on the good ones,’
says Adele Seaward, a lighting
designer at Bruce Munro Architectural
Lighting (01985 845 228; brucemunro.
co.uk). ‘LEDs will last 15-20 years, so
it’s worth making the investment in
better quality from the outset.’
Lucy Martin, design director at
John Cullen Lighting, has a useful
test to check light quality: hold
something red under the LED light,
and if it remains true red, it’s good.
If it appears slightly brown or orange,
beware. She also says it’s important
to remember that LED lights require
0-10V wiring, which is different from
standard ceiling lights. She advises
installing this wiring throughout your
entire home, just in case you want to
use LED lights in the future. It’s also
worth remembering that replacing a
50W halogen downlight with a 6W
LED will save £70 over the LED’s life,
according to the Energy Saving Trust
(energysavingtrust.org.uk).
october 2012
169
sourcebook Grand Guide
A single floor
lamp provides a
functional use,
such as an ideal
source for reading.
Tiered floor lamp,
£180, by Kenneth
Cole at House of
Fraser (0845 602
1073; houseof
fraser.co.uk)
The owners of
this modern home
wanted to keep
the ceiling free of
lights, so they
incorporated soft
uplighting into the
walls to create a
calm atmosphere.
Kreon (020 7740
2112; kreon.com)
Gardens and decking areas
It’s easy to see garden lighting as non-essential, but a little
can go a long way. You can dramatically increase your sense
of space inside at night by creating a view outside with an
illuminated feature. The trick is to conceal the source and plan
fittings so that light doesn’t shine directly in people’s eyes. You
also need to consider the light output: broad washes of light are
necessary for more mature gardens, while more contained lights
can work in landscaped, urban-style ones.
Don’t forget to light your thresholds – doors, patios and steps
– and plan the infrastructure early. Running an armoured cable
around the garden’s perimeter, linked up to switches inside will
avoid the need to dig up the garden to install lighting later.
Peter Johnston; Tom Sullam
You need to consider functional lighting of stairs and other
details in a garden. These 1W LED lights have been recessed
into the masonry for a discreet, low-energy wash. John Cullen
Lighting (020 7371 5400; johncullenlighting.co.uk)
170
This roof terrace by Lawson Robb
(020 7351 9383; lawsonrobb.com)
uses a few spots to uplight the
plants, while lanterns provide
portable light on the tables
october 2012
Wall, floor and
table lamps
This is the most flexible way to create
mood lighting, but try connecting your
lights to a five amp circuit, which will
allow you to control them from a single
switch. This is particularly useful for living
rooms and bedrooms. Also, decide
where your furniture is going, so you can
plan your floor sockets beforehand.
For table lamps, use fewer, but larger
shades to create atmosphere. Use wall
lights in rooms where table lamps might
look cluttered, such as dining rooms. And
consider using floor-based uplighters
which plug into the floor to wash a wall
with light, or create some drama behind
an object. They’re a cheaper alternative
to low-level recessed lighting, and ideal
for listed buildings.