Lighting floor plans take many shapes and come in all sizes.
Some are more formal and organized, while others are more freeform and pose unique lighting challenges. Variations in ceiling height, daylight and construction materials form a three-dimensional framework around the floor plan. Custom home lighting fixtures must be chosen based on their ability to harmoniously compliment interior surfaces and architectural elements. Otherwise, fixtures will appear too obtrusive and diminish the room’s aesthetic. The best way to design a superior lighting floor plan is to install low-profile functional lights and decorative accent lights at unique angles of incidence. Creating a multi-layered interior lighting design in this fashion will ensure decorative appeal and satisfactory lighting levels at once.
One of the most common questions we get about lighting floor plans deals with the actual number of lighting fixtures that a particular room will need.
The answer to this question is highly subjective, and requires a case-by-case analysis of each interior element to determine. Room sizes dictate the number of lighting fixtures and the wattages that must be used to provide general lighting. Factors such as ceiling height, the presence of natural light coming in through windows, and floor space itself play major roles in determining wattage and lumens levels. Hallways, for example, with tall ceiling eliminate the opportunity to plan recessed lighting because the angles are too steep creating objectionable shadows on objects of art. To overcome the effects of tall ceilings, homeowners are sometimes inclined to use the brightest lights to make sure that everything can be clearly seen. This type of lighting floor plan can cause more problems than it solves, however. Too much light creates either indirect glare or glare reflecting off glass and metal surfaces. It also creates a “flattened” look where everything looks two-dimensional. This works against interior decorating and is best avoided through a more strategic and selective blending of general and accent lighting. Floor plans can be illuminated in this fashion with multiple layers of house lighting that magnify important design elements reflective of personal taste and lifestyle.
Decorative lighting and use of chandeliers depends on the interior designer's look and feel of the home.
Most floor plans are traditional or contemporary, and decorative lighting fixtures come in both types of styles to provide a visual compliment to their surroundings. Chandelier lifts, a real luxury are becoming more prevalent in today's modern new home wiring plans due to taller ceiling heights and more elaborate fixture designs. They are useful during the installation of the fixture, for lamp changing and for cleaning purposes. If you are planning to have a chandelier as part of your lighting floor plan, it really should be done by a professional who can install it with a lift. This will allow you to do simple indoor lighting maintenance on your own and avoid the expense of service calls in the future.
Accent lighting is determined by the number of targets to illuminate such as art, sculpture or furnishings.
Recessed low voltage accent ccent lights add great value to any project, and magnify the elements of both contemporary and traditional-style interior décor superbly. Accent lights create focal points and are used to illuminate fine art, antique furniture, dining tables and plants. Accent lighting fixtures typically have small apertures which tend to hide the light source and minimize visual glare. They can also be used as an effective general lighting source in some contemporary lighting floor plans when planning your house lighting.
Although the lighting concepts are repetitive, every home takes on a new design depending on the floor plan.
It pays off in the long run to have your lighting floor plan developed by a professional lighting designer with extensive knowledge of interior decorating and architectural theory. Professionals like the consultants at Illuminations Lighting and Design know how to isolate key features that need enhancement through lighting, and they know where best to install lighting fixtures for functional and aesthetic effect.
Our areas of lighting expertise include residential, commercial, landscape, liturgical, building facades, and hospitality. We are fully equipped to produce CAD drawings, full specifications, custom lighting details, photometrics, energy code documentation, hand renderings, lighting control system layout and programming, and construction administration.
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