Residential Lighting Design

The brief was "To make the house come to life, make it brighter and not so gloomy".  The beautiful five year old home had been built by a developer in the prestigious village of Darras Hall.  

Lots of grids of GU10 downlights.had been installed.  Over the years LED lamps had been added, which meant they were all different colours and brightness.  The downlights were uncomfortable to look at.  

The client had employed Kreative Lighting Studio 10 years earlier on another house they had built.  So they appreciated good lighting. However the limitations was that this wasn't a brand new project, and the clients didn't want too much disruption to their home.

To gain an understanding of the client's taste we presented plenty of visuals and ideas. This was carried on throughout the project using Pinterest.  Swapping ideas, and finding lights that would work well.  

A residential project is very much about personal taste, so it's we make it a priority to get a good rapour with our clients.

With this challenge, we took dimensions of cutouts and made an existing lighting plan.

We produced lighting layouts.  Although the client only had the estate agent's line drawings, these were converted into CAD so that professional drawings were created.

  Each type of light fitting had a different symbol and was referenced.  Crucial dimensions were shown.  Control circuits and control panels are added.

Lighting Fittings were specified.  Samples of the light fittings were provided and costs were discussed and issued  we ensure the budget met the client's expectations.

Downlights and lamps were shown, so that the client could compare the colour temperature, colour rendering and glare control.

Once the client was satisfied with the design and budget, an Illustrated specification for each fitting was issued.  This referenced back to the light layouts and quotes.  

90% of the lighting was made in Britain.  These included Colourbox Studio, Mulan Lighting and Tom Ratffield.

Lamp shades were handmade to match furniture and added those finishing touches.

A big part of what we do is working as a team.  We ensured the client felt comfortable to call us if they had any changes and were there to help the contractors on site.

We gained an understanding of how the client want to control the project.  However we were very aware of the limitations due to wiring, small ceiling voids and beams.  As it was an existing build the client didn't want too much disruption.  

We collated quotes and control options.  We settled on a Bluetooth Wireless System, Casambi.  This was one of the largest residential projects Casambi had been specified on.  We programmed all the lighting throughout the house.

The client decided to order the light fittings through Kreative Lighting Studio for simplicity.  This way we kept in good contact with the electricians and saw the project from start to finish.

Once the fittings were ordered each box was labelled to match the references on the drawings.  They were delivered direct to site and we were happy to deliver when it was most convenient.

"I have found Kristina to be a real pleasure to work with, bringing a combination of technical know how, industry insight and design flair to projects". Client.