Is it really necessary to plan residential lighting? Why can’t we just buy new lights?
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of working with a professional who can help you develop your residential lighting plan. It will be much better to get the help of a professional lighting designer and prove well worth the investment in the long run. Working with someone trained in architecture, interior design, and landscaping basics can help you plan a lighting layout that compliments the physical aspects of your home and the personal elements of your living experience. You will feel so much more compliment and truly “yourself” in your home after they have taken the time to work with one of our home lighting design consultants.
Do you recommend decorative fixtures as a key element to the design?
In many cases we do. This, of course, depends on the type of interior decorations you have in your house. Many people like to emphasize certain historical periods in their interior design. Others prefer a specific motif, such as the Arts and Crafts décor, while still others like an ultra modern look. Picking out home decorative lighting to match your decorations can be difficult without a professional’s guidance. We can help you with this, and we can supply you with better lighting equipment than you would find on retail shelves. Pendants, chandeliers, and wall sconces are a few examples of lights that residential lighting planners that are used during electrical remodeling or new home custom homes.
How much specialty lighting do we need in a residential design plan?
That depends again on the nature and contents of your home’s décor. Residential interior lighting must have a blend of accent and general lighting to be effective. This requires “layering” light throughout the home in such a way as to compliment interior architecture and room content. Artwork requires it own type of lighting fixtures to be illuminated. At other times, however, decorative fixtures actually function as important elements of interior design.
Do you recommend lighting control?
Yes, wallbox lighting controls or lighting control systems are how you set light levels. The larger the home, and the more sophisticated individual specialty rooms like kitchens become, the more they require user-friendly means of regulating both the level of light and the type of light they create. This makes your actual light fixtures more flexible, because they can be used to create any number of lighting layers and effects when connected to dimmers, hand-held remotes, wall box control, and automated home lighting control programs. An added benefit to this is improved energy efficiency, because regulated lighting means power-saving lighting in today’s world.
Call Illuminations Lighting Design now at 800-863-1184 toll free or locally at 713-863-1133 for an appointment. Let’s talk about how the very best quality interior lighting maintenance can bring a whole new level of personal experience both within and around your home today. You may also visit our extensive lighting blog for helpful and informative information.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and design services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston, Custom Home Lighting Designs, House Lighting Plans, Lighting Consultants Texas, Residential Lighting Plans
Does ILD offer a free photometric analysis to every caller?
We offer photometric analysis for a marginal fee to clientele seeking just a report, and complimentary analysis to clients who hire us for lighting design. Lighting is an art form that requires careful consideration from a seasoned lighting professional.
What software do you use to generate photometric reports?
We use AGI32, a lighting design, a 3-D modeling suite that calculates light levels and renders electrical lighting systems. The capabilities of this photometric analysis software are amazing. By generating 3-D model of the room, home, or building, the software allows us to input hypothetical figures to determine where best to install recessed lighting fixtures and what angles of lighting incidence to incorporate in the overall design of the system. It can be used to determine the best possible lighting levels for any residential or commercial lighting environment.
Why should I have a photometric analysis done rather than just hiring a freelance contractor to install lighting fixtures I buy myself?
The human eye cannot always see every potential problem area of darkness and shadow. Every outdoor or indoor environment contains physical objects that will cast shadows when light strikes them from certain angles. Shadows are cast not so much by inadequate amounts of light, but rather by inaccurately calculated angles of incidence that send a beam of light straight toward a solid object which blocks luminance completely on the other side. Many times, these areas are very hard to find from an eye-level perspective, but later become all too evident once low voltage recessed lighting fixtures have been installed and shadows suddenly spring from out of nowhere.
The 3-D modeling aspect of our photometric analysis software allows us to literally move around these objects from any angle, height, or perspective to see where best to locate a ceiling light, lamp, recessed fixture, recessed art lighting, pendant, or chandelier. We can also try different wattage and bulb hypotheticals to determine the most efficient lumens per watt ratio once the optimal angles have been located. In commercial environments, this goes a long way toward saving businesses a great deal of money.
What aesthetic benefits does a photometric analysis offer my company?
We can conduct a room by room photometric analysis of floor space and vertical cube space to determine precisely where to install lighting equipment and exactly how much power each light will need to do its job. This is very similar to the way interior design partners and space planners work—creating individual sub designs within the overall design of the facility. This enables our team to develop a much more energy efficient, Spartan system that relies much more on design, light distribution, and precise lighting angles than it does on excessive numbers of fixtures using more power than necessary. Another benefit you gain from a photometric analysis offers is better fixture concealment. Because the report tells us exactly how many watts and lumens we need for each fixture, it is often possible to use smaller, more concealable lights for a more aesthetic compliment to the overall environment.
What lighting manufacturers do you represent?
Essentially, we act as a design build contractor for all of the major manufacturers headquartered and operating here in the United States such as Lutron Radio Ra dimmer controls. Choosing the right manufacturer for your needs is again accomplished in part through tools available in AGI32’s photometric analysis software. AGI32 actually contains manufacturer’s spec sheets and engineering documents on specific fixtures in different categories. We can use this database to generate a luminaire comparison report instantly that details optics, lumens per watt efficiency, and expected lamp life. By comparing and contrasting necessary and fixture placement recommendations with specific data on each luminaire, we can pinpoint the best possible quality and energy efficient luminaires to use in commercial, residential, and high-end lighting design.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting, electrical service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters, emergency generators, surge protection systems, phone systems and lighting control systems.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and design services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Independant Residential Electrical Contractor, Lighting Consultants Texas, Lighting Design Services Houston, Photometric Analysis
What do the initials IALD signify after your name? I've heard that is an important designation to look for in a
lighting designer.
You are correct that that is an important designation, as it tells you much about the person's knowledge, experience, and dedication to your needs as a client. IALD stands for International Association of Lighting Designers. The over-700 lighting designers around the world who are members of the IALD hold a position of distinction and authority in the lighting design profession. The IALD sets forth a strict code of ethics for its members and strives to set the global standard for lighting design excellence by promoting the advancement and recognition of
professional lighting design services.
There are many different grades of membership, but in order to list the letters after your name you must be voted in as a Professional Member. The voting process is a rigorous one in which an Associate member, who has taken a lead role in practicing lighting design for four or more years, puts forward a portfolio of their professional work to be judged by their colleagues. The portfolio and application are literally passed around the world to select international members and voted upon as to whether the applicant demonstrates the knowledge and design ability to uphold the standards of the organization.
Not just anyone that works in lighting can even apply to be a Professional Member. The IALD is an internationally recognized organization dedicated solely to he concerns of independent, professional lighting designers. In practice that means that means that factory representatives, lighting showroom salesman, and many other professionals that work in lighting cannot be considered for Professional Membership. Keeping the membership purely to independent consultants insures that an IALD member will be working in the client's best interest, with knowledge and experience, and without any ties to individual manufacturers or sales quotas.
The experienced lighting designers of Illuminations Lighting Design understand the elusive science of lighting. They also know their tools--the world's best lighting products--and how to effectively harness them. By working with architects, interior designers, builders, and owners to create custom designs and specifications, consistently high quality is assured.
For more information regarding the
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LIGHTING DESIGNERS please contact Illuminations Lighting Design at
713-863-1133 or toll free at
800-863-1184.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, IALD, Lighting Consultants Texas, Residential Lighting Designers
Unfortunately there are just too many factors that affect the number of lights needed to give a straight answer to this question. Factors include: the interior finishes of the room (Dark woods? Light colored walls? Large mirrors?), the type and size of recessed fixture used (4" aperture, 6" aperture, 2" pinhole aperture, black baffle or diffuse reflector?), the type and wattage of light bulb used (Reflector lamp? Diffuse A-Lamp?), and the intended function of the room (Is it a busy kitchen? An office? A circulation space? A bedroom that needs soft reading light?)
As lighting designers, when we look at a room, it is rare that we are looking at it to figure out simply "how many fixtures" it will need to give it a blanket of light. Instead we are considering all of the above questions as well as "Where can we add accent lights? Would the architecture benefit from an indirect cove or up lights? Would decorative sconces or a pendant enhance the interior design? Will specific task lighting aid in the function of the room?" More often than not we draw from several of these areas when compiling a lighting design - combining light types, intensities, and functions simply makes for the best design both aesthetically and functionally.
For lighting design assistance for your home or office contact Tom Kretzschmar at
Illuminations Lighting Design toll free at
800-863-1184 or locally at
713-863-1133.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Commercial Lighting Designers, Custom Home Lighting Designs, Designing Lighting Plans, Independant Residential Electrical Contractor, Lighting Consultants Texas
