Introduction to lighting

Introduction to Lighting Design

Often lighting can be an afterthought within a room, but it can actually be one of the most transformative elements in the scheme. Discover the history of lighting an interior and the techniques we use today.

A Brief History of Lighting Design

Since the beginning of time, we have always needed lighting, and there have been many different forms as we transition through technological advances.

Candlelight and the oil lamp were the most prominent forms of lighting for centuries, until Thomas Edison and the invention of the incandescent bulb in 1879.

Next came the Tungsten filament in 1906, which enabled a much brighter, more efficient and longer-lasting light source.

Fluorescent light came to prominence in the 1930s with the rise of industrialization and commercialisation.

By the 1950's the Tungsten filament had been miniaturised into a halogen lamp, allowing for softer and more appealing light within the home.

The rise of LED lighting came in the 1990s and sparked the beginning of the enduring battle between energy efficiency and quality of light.

It's taken a couple of decades to refine and improve the technology, but the light produced by LED is now of a beautiful quality and can be utilised to great effect in residential settings.

Understanding the Role of a Lighting Designer

An architect considers the form and materiality of a building and an interior designer looks at textures, colours and finishes.

A lighting designer's role is to understand all of these elements in unison and work out how to manipulate the use of light to enhance and amplify their effect.

I like to think of lighting a room as being like painting a picture; I have a 'palette' of different lighting options, and I use them to paint in the areas I want to be lit and the areas I want to be in shadow to create the overall mood of a room.

Introducing Ambient, Task and Accent Lighting

There are three different types of lighting, and each one is fundamental. Getting the balance between all three of these right is the true craft of good lighting design.

Lighting within a room can be thought of in layers:

First layer: Ambient

The main source of light that dictates the overall mood of a room.

Second layer: Accent

Key features you want to light, such as artwork, shelving or the centre of a table.

Third layer: Task

Lighting that illuminates a particular activity or provides a distinct purpose.

What You'll Learn in This Course

In our time together, I hope to demonstrate the emotive power of lighting, and how it can transform a room. We'll be covering a range of topics.

• The fundamentals of lighting
• A visual vocabulary of lighting techniques
• The value of lighting within an interior
• Understanding how to achieve different effects
• Creating layers of lighting
• Manipulating lighting to achieve impact

The Process for Understanding Good Lighting Design

Designing good lighting is all about emphasising specific features, so it's essential to work out what these are at the very beginning of the design process.

Establish what the room will contain, its layout and how it will be used. Are there any key pieces of art that need to be lit, or key areas within the room that must be lit in a particular way?