Houzz Live Chat - Optimising lighting in your home, Friday 20th at 3pm

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Even with the winter months on their way out, lighting is one of those things that's important all year round. Creating the perfect ambience for different occasions can often be down to the lighting but it's something many of us struggle with!

To brighten up your day, we've invited three of our lighting professionals, Iain & Melanie from Brilliant Lighting, Bruce from The Lighting Design Studio, and Stephanie from Copper & Silk to answer all your burning lighting questions. Whether it's creating the perfect atmosphere, finding eco-friendly lighting or if you just don't know how to light your home, then they'll be here to help!

Brilliant Lighting - http://www.houzz.co.uk/pro/brilliant-lighting/brilliant-lighting

The Lighting Design Studio - http://www.houzz.co.uk/pro/lukelock/the-lighting-design-studio

Copper & Silk - http://www.houzz.co.uk/pro/copperandsilk/copper-and-silk

Throughout this chat, we'll be asking both pros a few questions but we encourage all Houzzers to ask away and take part in the discussion.

This is how it will work: I will post questions as comments to the thread. Each question will have a question number, for example ‘Q1)”. To answer a question, use the corresponding label, for example ‘A1)’.

Don’t forget to keep refreshing the page to see new questions and answers.

The LIVE CHAT will start Friday the 20th at 3pm and will run for 30-45 minutes. Feel free to post your questions now and we'll answer them in the chat!

See you then!

Featured Answer

PRO

The Lighting Design Studio

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Q5) What do you predict will be the next trends in Lighting?

A5) We are seeing home automation pick up in a bigger way with there being much more affordable
ipad and iphone lighting controls. We suspect that as the bigger players such as google and apple move in to these markets it is only set to grow.

LEDs are also still developing and changing with an answer for most traditional lamp types - we even have "filament" looking LED lamp which would be very difficult to spot the difference - yet would use a fifth if the energy.

Other ares of LED development include the warm dim lamps which change from warm to even warmer white (so 2700K to around 2200K) as you dim them this is to mimic halogen bulbs which do this naturally this will help create warm cosey lighting which we have become used to.

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Comments (150)

heatherwadsworth
9 years ago
I'm not sure how this live chat works! I posted a question about using different lighting in different areas of my new kitchen/dining/sitting area. LED SPOTS in the kitchen but what about the other area? We really want something a bit more relaxing.
PRO
The Lighting Design Studio
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Q3) Is there a guiding principle for setting the height of wall lights?

A3) It depends on the wall light. But for decorative wall lights we have found that 1600mm off the FFL (finished floor level) works well.
This is true of bare walls so either side of a mirror, either side of a TV or on a corridor wall.

For lower mounting lights which are specific for floor washing I like them around knee height - so around 400mm off the floor as gives a good wash of light on to the floor.
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Hello Mohammed, You're welcome ! I think the wooden chest is actually nice and I would leave that and have a mirror over it.. It's looks good but of course entirely your choice. The copper/rose gold or glass bulb light is the one to consider out of the ones you have chosen but the glass bulb would give you more light! However it's more subtle... Reason why I'd be inclined to leave the wooden chest and add something there.. Wood offers warmth and texture which is why I think it's a nice idea.. At the far end I would only suggest a mirror (if the hall is really short but it didn't appear to be) You can always try a long mirror and then try adding something like a column and a sculpture or a vase of flowers or something decorative to stand in front. If you want to add a bench seat by all means or maybe a console table would be nicer or useful - it really depends on how you use your hall. :))
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PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A6) Mike's question first LED has reached the point where it's powerful enough for the downlight application you mention and it can be supplemented by linear LED fittings.

The great thing about dedicated LED fittings is no lamps to replace, the light source is integral to the fitting. So choose the best you can. We can direct you at some specific products after the live chat if that's OK.
PRO
Copper & Silk
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Q1) I'm looking for a bedroom pendant shade that will allow a bright but not harsh light in the room. The best in my experience has been the paper lanterns! But can you suggest anything more glamorous?

A1) The paper lantern does allow for the harsh light from a single bulb to diffuse into an even glow and still light the room. If you are looking for a little more glamour the trend for translucent fittings and decorative bulbs make our Luna light a great choice. The principal is still a simple central light source but with a more dramatic design, the black voile works well in bedrooms where a strong light is not always wanted. https://www.copperandsilk.com/lighting/pendant-lights/ceiling-lights/luna
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Next question for The Lighting Design Studio -

Q4) @glennherbertr is having a flat roof extension done to his recently purchased bungalow, comprising a ultility room, kitchen dining area and seated area. What natural lighting solutions would you recommend for the roof?
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks Copper & Silk, next question from @groveav -

Q2) Is there a general rule for the size of lampshades and the stand/base? I'm hopeless at putting the two together but everyone else seems to get it right!
PRO
The Lighting Design Studio
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Q4) @glennherbertr is having a flat roof extension done to his recently purchased bungalow, comprising a ultility room, kitchen dining area and seated area. What natural lighting solutions would you recommend for the roof?

A4) Velux windows are a great way of introducing natural light in to a room
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
Glenda - the pic dates from 2006 - it was an incandescent source, pretty warm but I don't know the colour temp.
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Brilliant Lighting - Q7) What are the best eco-friendly lights?
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
The Lighting Design Studio - Q5) What do you predict will be the next trends in Lighting?
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
I'd probably go back to the answer for Q1. LED is both practical and improving in performance.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
You need to buy wisely - there is a lot of pretty poor LED on the market.
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Brilliant Lighting - this question is from @heatherwadsworth:

Q8)"I posted a question about using different lighting in different areas of my new kitchen/dining/sitting area. LED SPOTS in the kitchen but what about the other area? We really want something a bit more relaxing."
PRO
Copper & Silk
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
From @groveav Q2) Is there a general rule for the size of lampshades and the stand/base? I'm hopeless at putting the two together but everyone else seems to get it right!

A2) This is a very tricky task, we often spend a lot of time with customers and their bases choosing the best shape and size. There is a list of guides to help with choosing your perfect lampshade on our website (see the link at the end of the answer). In summary the widest point on the base of the shade should be equal or slightly larger than the total height of the base. This is relying on the base's dimensions being fairly standard.
http://www.copperandsilk.com/faq
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Copper & Silk - From @tosca100 -

Q3) We're having shutters installed in our bedroom which was formerly an upstairs drawing room. Removing the curtains and pelmet means the ceiling light will be more of a focus. The aesthetics will be more important than the functionality. Are there any design rules about size of light pendant vis a vis size of room?
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A8) Wall lights and table lamps are both a great way to create a more comfortable atmosphere. What sort of look and feel are you trying to create? Modern? Traditional?. We'd still recommend some spotlights for more functional tasks like cleaning.
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
We're going to have a few more questions before it all wraps up today! Brilliant Lighting for you from @ piddlealong:

Q9) I'm planning the decor for a whole new house. I plan to have a row of 3 pendant lights over my new dining room table. I like the cafe look and an intimate feel. how important would it be to ensure that these lights are directional? Tara
Glenda Steel
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
@Brilliliant Lighting Is there such a thing as a glamorous under kitchen cabinet LED light for a more atmospheric feel (for dine-in kitchens)?
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Q9) I'm planning the decor for a whole new house. I plan to have a row of 3 pendant lights over my new dining room table. I like the cafe look and an intimate feel. how important would it be to ensure that these lights are directional? Tara

A9)@ piddlealong Three pendants is a good decorative choice. It will depend on the type of fitting as to what light output you are going to get. You could experiment with beam widths if you're looking for a tight pool of light.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
@Glenda, simply , yes there is. Even though this isn't a kitchen shot you can see the kind of effect you can get from linear fittings.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
Glenda; It's simple break-free lighting and we can configure it to suit your space.
Glenda Steel
9 years ago
@Brilliant Lighting - GORGEOUS do you sell them?
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
We do!
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
OK Brilliant Lighting, one more question for you from @p_e_morgan.

Q10) Since it doesn't seem possible to get the philips softtone bulbs any more, how can I use energy efficient bulbs to get a warm tone in my room? I end up with a cold ambience.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
It's not in our online store but give us a call and we can point you at the configurator which is being launched in a week or so.
PRO
Copper & Silk
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Q3) We're having shutters installed in our bedroom which was formerly an upstairs drawing room. Removing the curtains and pelmet means the ceiling light will be more of a focus. The aesthetics will be more important than the functionality. Are there any design rules about size of light pendant vis a vis size of room?

A3) @tosca100 There are no fixed rules but there are a few things that can help. If you are in a period property or the room has a decorative plaster ceiling rose then the pendant light should be at least equal in diameter or slightly larger otherwise the light can look a little lost.

The other thing to consider is the size of the largest piece of furniture in the room. So in a bedroom it will usually be the bed, if the bed is approx. 1.4 metres wide and is snug within the room then a 600mm diameter light is probably as big as you want to go, however if the width of the room is three times the with of the bed then you can probably go as large as 800mm diameters. The easier place to use the furniture rule is above a dinning room table, if the table is round choose a round pendant and hang it directly central to the table about 600mm smaller than the size of the table (1200mm diameter table would suit a 600mm diameter pendant).
Glenda Steel
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
@Brilliant Lighting - do you have a link? Or should I call?
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Q10) Since it doesn't seem possible to get the philips softtone bulbs any more, how can I use energy efficient bulbs to get a warm tone in my room? I end up with a cold ambience.

A10) - you need a colour temperature of 3000K or less, maybe 2,700K (Very warm white). It's made a bit more tricky as different manufacturers 3000K may differ. We'd always recommend testing before committing to wholesale change.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Glenda, drop us a line here and I will send you one http://www.brilliantlighting.co.uk/contact-us/ or call 01845 525664
heatherwadsworth
9 years ago
We are modernising a 1980's house, knocking two rooms into one for the kitchen/living area. A modern look, we hope.
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
And that's a wrap! We've had loads of questions through and so much great advice shared. A big thank you to Brilliant Lighting, The Lighting Design Studio and Copper & Silk for their expertise and participation.

Our Editorial team will be going through and picking out content for an upcoming Ideabook which we will be sharing with you as soon as it's published. Thank you for everyone who joined in and keep your light switched on for future chats!
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
tom, will we be able to add to this after the live chat?
crowningfashion
9 years ago
Very helpful and informative. Thank you.
PRO
Copper & Silk
9 years ago
Thank you Tom, a great chat today and we hope we have helped some of your members. Have a great weekend
Tom Flanagan thanked Copper & Silk
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
Heather, drop us a line at http://www.brilliantlighting.co.uk/contact-us/ and I wil send you a link to some ideas.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
Yes, thanks Tom.
Glenda Steel
9 years ago
Superb chat thank you so much!!!
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
You're welcome. Love your blog btw.
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
Feel free to ask each other questions even now the live chat is over. Hope everyone enjoyed it!
p_e_morgan
9 years ago
Thank you very much for your response. Much appreciated!
PRO
lightgurus
9 years ago
If your getting flickering a red load will cure this or change the dimmer module for a v-pro
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Craig, your question on Lighting Control. The rise of LED has brought new dimension to the lighting control debate. Lighting Control Systems such as Lutron are the best way to dim LED. We use Lighting Control Systems with 0-10v, DALI and DMX dimming and it's possible to get very smooth dimming to really low levels.

I don't really want to suggest one system over another. I'm sure they all have their strengths. Rako offers wireless flexibility for retrofit applications, Lutron has a superb heritage and history of fantastic reliability. I'd look for dealers who are really experienced in using the system and a manufacturer with a strong local support infrastructure. We've got an introduction to Lighting Control Systems on our site here and there are some useful manufacturer downloads. http://www.brilliantlighting.co.uk/lighting-control/
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
shhhhhiv - your question on your design. We're about to launch a configurator for linear lighting solutions. If you drop us a line here http://www.brilliantlighting.co.uk/contact-us/ I'll send you a link to the configurator when it's up.
Cheryl Kemp
9 years ago
Neither of my questions were answered and I was 3rd in line to ask a question last Tuesday :(
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
HI Cheryl, sorry we weren't able to answer all the questions on the day. Your first one is rather tricky because it very much sounds like you're looking for the "right light" which is very specific to the interior and also very personal. It can take hours if not days to find the "perfect light" and when we're working on a project it's a service we charge for. However, to give you some pointers, you might find it useful to ‘borrow’ some lamps from other rooms in the house, or from friends, and try out different heights, shade sizes etc, to give you a better feel as to what would work. Armed with a better view of what works for view you could pull examples from Houzz interiors (it's a pretty large library after all) and route queries through the design firms that posted them. Copper and Silk (also on the chat) might have a view?
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
Second question from Cheryl; "Also do you have any idea on lighting for a small dark downstairs toilet. I want something that will really make the bathroom look stylish and modern and makes a nice feature to the small room." Again it's a very broad question and the solution is likely to be very personal and specific to the room BUT have a look at this. This is a fun shot from a project we did a number of years ago. I believe the fitting is discontinued but I seem to remember we may have one that we bought for a project that never got used. Let me know what you think.
PRO
Brilliant Lighting
9 years ago
glenysmary - what do you think of this as a look? Even if you hate it, that's fine, it's as important to work out what you don't like, what really leaves you cold as much as what you love. It helps the designers working with you enormously. Building Houzz ideabooks of what you really like can give a very good steer to a designer on what cues they should be looking for.
Isa
9 years ago
What a incredibly useful site you offer with Houzz! I am an unconditional fan but this particular chat has...enlightened me on LEDs (!) Hope you cover 'awkward kitchen corners' soon as I am also struggling with that one...
Tom Flanagan thanked Isa
Tom Flanagan
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks @ifsayer - we're so glad to hear you found this useful, it's all down to our excellent pros! We're always happy to hear our community's thoughts on topics they'd find useful for discussion, so if anybody has any ideas for future live chats then do let us know!

Houzz Live Chat - Optimising lighting in your home, Friday 20th at 3pm

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