NULTY+ TRENDS IN LIGHTING DESIGN: RESIDENTIAL
The lights are on, everyone's at home
Light has always been the ace up a designer’s sleeve in the world of high-end interiors. It has the power to set the mood, add a unique brush stroke to a scheme, and increasingly, improve the liveability of a residential project by responding and adapting to the people who inhabit that space.
General awareness of light’s capacity to elevate the living environment is growing. No longer the preserve of the super-prime sector, architectural lighting influences are trickling down to the rest of the residential market.
Residential spaces are becoming more multifunctional, so a greater emphasis is being placed on how layers of light can evoke different scenes within a single space.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Homeowners are also being quite creative when it comes to decorative luminaires, creating a need for architectural lighting (and an experienced lighting designer) to set the right scene by augmenting light levels around the decorative fitting. In the buy-to-let sector, investors are prioritising quality lighting as a smart addition that can help boost tenant retention and improve the through-life cost of a property.
The trickle-down effect has been stirred by the democratisation of high-end tech. Brands like Philips, Amazon, Apple, and Google have brought app-controlled and voice-activated lighting to the masses and dynamic schemes that shift between several scenes are no longer unattainable.
We’re also seeing a strong emphasis placed on wellbeing, so biodynamic lighting schemes - more commonly seen in luxury hotels and large-scale commercial projects - are beginning to be seen in the home. Smart lighting systems allow us to have greater control over colour temperature, intensity, and contrast, and can play a role in supporting a biophilic approach to design.
Now that the rest of the residential sector has raised its lighting expectations, how does the super-prime end respond and differentiate its offering? Time and time again, exclusivity is the illusive thing that gives a luxury development its heartbeat, so it stands to reason that we’ll see an increased focus on context and bespoke luminaires to create standout spaces that tell a unique story.