DEEPER Darkness; Doing BETTER RESIDENTIAL
By DAVID WARFEL
Layers of light help spaces look and feel great, but vague or technical terminology can lead to clients less willing to invest.
Better living through light begins not with task, ambient, or accent light, but with beneficial darkness and light for our hands. Our next evolution as a profession begins when we understand that clients cut the lighting budget because we failed to establish appropriate value, instead scaring them or boring them with terminology that should stay in the studio. We know that the right light can transform lives, that thoughtful lighting design can make architecture look and function better, and that the wrong light or lack of light can lead to both short- and long-term negative outcomes for those who live, work, and rest in our buildings. Clients do not have this 54
designing lighting
knowledge, nor the time and energy to acquire it, and that gap leads to countless decisions made against their own best interest. Schools cut dynamic white light from the budget to save dollars. Businesses cut layers of light that could increase productivity and employee wellbeing. Homeowners cut nearly all architectural lighting, convinced that anything unusual must just be unnecessary expense. “Let’s trim the flooring budget so we can spend it on lighting.” As a meme would conclude: “…said no client ever.” It is very rare for a client to cut other areas to increase their investment