5 Ways to Light Up Your Life
LS&A is celebrating 24.50 years of designing with “life-built in”
HAPPY SUMMER!
As we enjoy the long Summer days that are full of light, we honor the lighting designers who brighten our lives in the evenings throughout the year. See what 5 of our favorite lighting designers can do for you, as you work, play, age, live, learn (our 5 practice specialties). Read their tips about how to successfully start your next lighting project.
TIP from ROBYN: I like to encourage my clients to think and work outside of their comfort zone and lean into bold and sometimes nontraditional ideas. I always like to offer up at least one creative and maybe sometimes initially uncomfortable lighting concepts and have found that the clients who are most willing to travel down that occasionally scary path have had some of the most truly satisfying and successful projects.
TIP from CARRIE: “When designing “play” spaces, it’s all about establishing a mood to help transport people from their everyday lives. Similar to theatre, lighting is a critical element that helps set the scene for any function or atmosphere you desire. Focus on incorporating layers of light which can be adjusted through a dimming system to create various looks from day to evening to late night. It’s always great to incorporate a little of the unexpected to help boost the visual experience. Think about blending decorative lighting elements with subtle lighting layers that are carefully blended into the architecture. By using this technique, you draw the eye to these “wow” elements while still achieving the function, sparkle, and texture you need throughout.”
TIP from LUKAS: “What’s the lighting budget for your project?” Same as our clients, we find the lighting industry to be fairly opaque and frustrating, as far as pricing goes, which often results in us coming on to a project and there not being a lighting budget in place. With that in mind, one of the first steps we take on most projects is to develop a lighting budget with our clients, while discussing with them what their ultimate goals for the lighting are. We find that once a budget has been developed a lot of the decisions we make during the design process tend to be much easier, it allows us the freedom to be creative, and our client knows that what we are proposing will ultimately be something they can afford.
TIP from NANCY: The most important thing you can tell a lighting designer is how you and your family will live in the space created for you by your design and construction team. Is your dining room table also a homework/crafts table? Do you want to be able to read a book in your home theater while your kids watch Kung Fu Panda? Will you miss the warmth of incandescent lighting as it dims in intimate spaces if you install LED down-lights? (We have a solution for that!) The more you share with me about your lifestyle, the better I can layer the light to give you maximum flexibility and rooms you love to live in.
TIP from JEFFREY: Be sure to consider all views and conditions when creating a lighting design. Paul Rudolf’s iconic concrete architecture played a major role in determining the rhythm of the lighting for this project. Taking into consideration not only the interior lighting comfort but also the nighttime exterior views, a balance between function and beauty was achieved for all times of the day.