Our Design Associate Sabrina Fiorina discusses the contemporary lighting scheme designed for this London family home. The project had a strong focus on joinery, and incorporated a range of different materials which needed to be lit in a variety of ways.
The brief for this project was to create a contemporary, relaxing environment for the clients and their family to live in which worked from day to evening. From the formal living and dining rooms, through to the basement bar and playroom, the key focus was to highlight the joinery throughout the property and consider the materials being used. The staircase formed the central spine of the home, linking all floors so achieving a scheme that unified the property was central to the brief. We worked within these parameters to create a balanced, layered scheme to suit the clients’ lifestyle.
The ground floor consisted of a formal living room and dining room. In the living room, we wanted to create a welcoming, warm and clean space. We designed the scheme to conceal the Contour LED strip in the back of the shelves on either side of the fireplace to silhouette the objects on display. This creates a subtle yet dramatic effect, adding a layer of interest and focal point within the room. We concentrated the light over the coffee table using 4 Polespring 30 downlights on each side of the decorative pendant to create a soft, intimate glow at the centre of the room.
In the dining room, the chandelier above the table was very sculptural and a real focal point. We added four Polespring 30 downlights around the base of the chandelier to illuminate its curves and form and provide accent light down onto the table. The shelving provided another focal point creating symmetry within the room. We backlit all of the shelves using Contour linear strip to put the glass objects in silhouette, adding drama and atmosphere to the dining area.
The joinery throughout the property was designed by HUX London, with this bar unit being a key feature in the basement.
We chose Contour LED strip within a profile to create a contemporary floating effect, with discreet Minim joinery downlights to shine down though the glass bottles. It was important here to consider the materials within the bar which included antique mirror. We carefully designed the details so that the LED strip was carefully positioned to avoid any reflection being visible at the back of the unit.
Another key joinery aspect was the wine room in the basement. As this sits at the bottom of the stairs, it added interest to what would have been a dark space. We illuminated this unit with Contour strip at the front, in the central sections, with a Minim on each side of the centre. This provided a soft light down onto the displayed bottles.
The staircase was an integral aspect to light as it formed the core of the house, linking the floors together. Ochre chandeliers were designed within the scheme, to hang between the floors and add continuation and flow to the lighting scheme. To provide a more practical layer of light to guide down the staircase, Lucca 30 steplights were integrated into every other tread. These were installed on a PIR sensor to provide guidance at night.
As part of the brief we played with layers of light where possible to achieve a flexible and balanced lighting scheme. Within the bathroom, several layers were included; Cazalla floorlights behind the bath to provide accent lighting, and Lucca 30 downlights in the niches to create interest. A few Polespring downlights were included for general illumination. The bathroom was controlled on a conventional dimmer which provided bright light during the day but allowed the space to become atmospheric and relaxing at night. PIR sensors were also integrated for light during night time wanderings.
One of the challenges on this project was the location of the skylight in the kitchen. We integrated light around the base of the skylight using Contour LED strip to create a soft glow in the evening and to blend with the detail within the overall lighting scheme. Also included were tilted Polespring downlights to provide general illumination to the space. Vorsa Spotlights were used to give a soft glow and focussed light to certain areas of the kitchen such as the central island and cupboards, and to direct onto positioned artwork where recessed downlights were not possible.
Interior Design: Helen Stiles, Hide & Seek
Photography: James Balston
Bathroom Designer: CP Hart
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